Vicious mauling that left cat dead caught on CCTV

TWO dogs savagely attacked and killed a three-legged cat on the front lawn of a home in Tarring.
Freeman the cat was savaged by two dogsFreeman the cat was savaged by two dogs
Freeman the cat was savaged by two dogs

Eleven-year-old Freeman, also known as Tripod, belonged to the Lynch family in Church Way, Tarring.

The entire grisly incident, which took place at 12.05pm last Tuesday, in Church Way, was captured on CCTV thanks to neighbour and Tarring Neighbourhood Watch scheme co-ordinator Terry Rickards.

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The callous nature of the attack has shocked mum-of-three Tracy Lynch, after footage showed the owners of the dogs collecting them and driving off without paying any attention to the fatally wounded cat.

The attack was caught on CCTVThe attack was caught on CCTV
The attack was caught on CCTV

Mrs Lynch, 44, said: “To find out he had been savaged by the dogs and the owners had not done anything is just completely callous. That’s what’s most distressing for us that they didn’t do anything to check on the cat.

“My youngest son was completely distraught. This is the first family pet he’s lost and he was in floods of tears.”

The incident has been reported to police who are currently investigating.

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A police spokesman said the dogs, which were running loose, were large, possibly Dobermans, and were collected by someone who turned up in a blue car.

The attack took place on Terry Rickards’ front garden while he was away on holiday.

Such was the graphic nature of the footage, he strongly advised the family not to watch it.

Mr Rickards said: “It amazes and sickens me that no attempt was made either at the time the dogs were recovered, or at a later stage, to check on the state of the cat and, as far as I am aware, no attempt has been made since by the dog owners to seek the owners of the cat. It’s a pretty horrific attack really.”

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When the Lynches were informed the cat had been found dead, they took it straight to the vets.

Initially, the family believed the cause of death to be natural, as Freeman was diabetic and anaemic. However, the vet said there were clear signs of trauma and that it looked like it could have been hit by a car.

Recounting the footage, Mr Rickards said two dogs, neither on leads, appeared from the left of the screen, walking from west to east. They momentarily disappeared off screen, before returning with a cat held between their jaws. They pulled and tugged at the cat, which quickly succumbed to the attack.

As the dogs inspected their kill, a small light blue car appeared, also from the west, and came to a stop in the close. The driver got out of the car and walked towards the dogs, which stopped what they were doing and moved away.

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From the footage, Mr Rickards believed the car contained two elderly women, both with grey/white hair.

Mrs Lynch is keen for the owners of the dogs to be brought to justice and is concerned it could happen again to another animal, or even a child.

The Lynch family has owned Freeman since 2004 when they got it from the RSPCA.

Mrs Lynch said: He would go around the neighbourhood and everyone knew him. He was a real character. I think the neighbours will miss him out and about.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information about the dogs or their owner is asked to email [email protected] or call 101 quoting serial 827 of 30/03.

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