CLERMONT, Fla. —A dead cat was found attached to a small cross outside the Real Life Church building in Clermont early Sunday morning, police said.

Police were called after 7 a.m. to the church on Johns Lake Road.

A church employee told police that she found the cat on the west side of the building.

“It’s horrific. I wouldn’t have imagined anything like that in this town,” said Rudolph Estrada, who recently moved to Clermont.

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There was also a stick left nearby with the words, “Thou shalt not make my father’s house a den of thieves, read Matthew 7:3 ye hypocrites,” written in a red substance.

“We are truly saddened by this inhumane act against one of God’s creatures. While we have no idea what would prompt someone to do something like this, we are praying for them and for those affected by it,” the church said in a statement Monday.

Meanwhile, residents are calling the incident sacrilegious and blasphemous.

“It’s just crazy. If you don’t want to go to church don’t go. No one’s saying to go there,” said Lopez, who lives near the church. “Unfortunately, we’ve got some fools that live in this world. That’s all I can say. They’re fools and I hope they repent before their time is up,” said Lopez.

Police said they are investigating the incident and that no arrests have been made.

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