The Calgary Humane Society is investigating after a dead kitten was found in the southwest community of Kingsland on Monday.

Peace officers found the feline zip-tied to a fence.

A necropsy determined the animal suffered blunt force trauma to its head and abdomen.

Officials say seven kittens in total, all in the range of six to eight weeks old, have been found in public spaces in "various states of distress" since May 30. Of those, two are dead.

"In several of these cases, kittens’ paws have been bound and they have been covered in a tar-like substance," said the humane society.