Police in Alberta are investigating two unsettling discoveries of cat carcasses, including one where a dead cat was hung from a light standard.

A dark brown female tabby was found hanging from a lamppost in front of a store in Ponoka, about 100 kilometres south of Edmonton, Saturday morning, said the RCMP.

Edmonton police investigating a possible break-in found about 41 dead cats in a freezer Saturday.
(CBC)

The animal was suspended about four metres in the air from a bar used for flower baskets or banners, said RCMP Const. James Lai on Sunday.

"It was hung there using four or five copper wires wrapped around the cat's neck and then hung from that horizontal post," he said. "It was put there so people could see it."

Lai could not say if the animal was still alive when someone suspended the cat, which police believe was between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Saturday. Police currently have no suspects.

Cat carcasses found in freezer

Meanwhile in Edmonton, police investigating a call about a possible break-in at a residential garage found about 41 dead cats in a freezer Saturday.

The animals had died of illnesses and belonged to a woman who lived in the home, said Sgt. Guy Kinney. The woman didn't know what else to do with them, Kinney said, adding that she may be suffering from mental health problems.

Officials also seized about 20 sick cats from the home.

Kinney said animal control officers will decide whether charges will be laid.