An Unpleasant Question for a True Crime Project

Hey guys,

I'm a true crime YouTuber working on a video about a very specific aspect of the Golden State Killer story. I won't bore you with the details, but I'm hoping someone here will be able to clear up something said to have taken place in Citrus Heights, in 1959/likely the early 1960s.

What I'm looking for is information on the Canyon Oaks/Citrus Heights Cat Killer. I've seen them referenced by both names, though it's rare to see them mentioned at all. I found later references to potential cat "sacrifices" enacted by a "satanic cult," but those were a couple of decades later, appropriately during the satanic panic. I believe the perpetrator there turned out to be a coyote (the coyote's religious leanings remain unconfirmed). The Cat Killer crimes that happened earlier than that don't seem to be documented anywhere I can find them, even after sifting through a bunch of old newspapers. Nevertheless, it seems to exist in the zeitgeist and I'm not sure why.

I may have overlooked something, or the Cat Killer might never of existed; either way, I'm sure someone here will have a better idea about this than I do.

On a related note, there's an anecdote I'm hoping to confirm the validity of, should it be true. Allegedly there was a child, they may have been in their early teens or a bit younger, who was shooting cats with a BB gun in the neighborhood. As punishment, either the child's parent or neighbor took their BB gun and bent the barrel in a vise. The kid then called the Sheriff and told them he wanted whoever had done the damage to be arrested. The child was honest about having shot the cats but didn't seem to have any emotional reaction to the situation. A report about the cats was filed although no action was taken. I understand this anecdote is especially obscure but it seemed worth a try to include it, just in case.

Any insights the people of Citrus Heights might have would be greatly appreciated; thanks for reading my strange post.