Security footage has captured the moment a dog owner intentionally riled up his pet into a frenzy, before setting it on a defenseless cat and mauling the feline to death, the Daily Mail reports.
The man - seen smoking a cigarette and wearing a cap and hooded jacket - enters the front yard of the home in Walsall, England, after spotting the cat sat peacefully on the garden wall. After leading his lurcher-type dog through the front gate, the man then riles his dog up, before pointing at the feline, named Cleo, and letting his dog tear her apart.
Can you help police find this man? (Footage has been edited)The footage then shows the dog leaping at the cat, taking her in its jaws and throwing her to the ground. Sadly, the attack was so brutal, Cleo died shortly after.
The unknown man can be seen sprinting away from the scene as his dog does his bidding.
Cleo's owner, Gary Truefitt watched the footage after noticing that she hadn't come home the following day. After noticing that his front gate had been left open, he checked over his CCTV footage, where he witnessed the attack unfold. He was left so distraught by what he had seen, he went to neighbor's house for advice.
He posted a picture of Cleo on Facebook on Thursday and wrote: "My beautiful cat, Cleo. Brutally killed by the senseless act of a dog owner setting his dog onto her in my own yard."
Fiona Howell, a trainee inspector at the RSPCA, has said: "This is an extremely disturbing incident and we'd like to find out who this individual is as soon as possible. We believe there may also be offenses of 'lamping' shown here and are also liaising with the police.
"If anyone does recognize the individual in this footage they can contact the RSPCA inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018."
Meanwhile, the West Midlands Police have confirmed that they are working with the RSPCA to find the culprit, and is reaching out to anybody who may have any information. They told the MirrorOnline:
"Police are working with the RSPCA to investigate after a cat was attacked by a dog on Woodlands Crescent, Walsall shortly before 11:00pm on Wednesday 23 October.
"No arrests have been made and anyone with information has been asked to contact the RSPCA on 0300 1238018 or West Midlands Police via Live Chat at west-midlands.police.uk, quoting crime number 20WS/255002G/19."
My Truefitt has said that Cleo will be very much missed, and that despite being a "daft" cat, she has been his faithful companion for eight years.
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