A man whose cat was killed by a greyhound in the street is calling on dog owners to be more aware of the threats they can pose to others.
Rob Scott heard what he thought were dogs fighting in Soham just before 9am on Sunday, May 29 before he realised his cat Polly was being attacked.
“I put my hands into the dog’s mouth and prised his jaws open,” said Rob.
“She was sick on my chest and I’d take her to the vet, but she passed away in my arms.”
Rob said a woman who was walking the greyhound at the time tried to stop it from attacking Polly, who was 16-years-old, but was unsuccessful.
“My neighbour ran out at the same time as I did; there were four people at the incident,” Rob recalled.
“It was traumatising; it’s the worst thing I have ever seen in my life.”
Rob has considered reporting the incident to police and the RSPCA, but feels there is “no point” after a parliament petition to prosecute owners of dogs attacking cats was rejected.
He said Polly was usually comfortable around dogs and was friendly with other animals she met.
“We had no children and so Polly was our baby and a huge part of our lives,” Rob said.
“She was a special cat, one of those cuddly animals who was particularly unique.”
Rob has since spoken to the woman in charge of the greyhound at the time, who has apologised for the attack.
He now wants other dog and pet owners to be aware of the threat animals pose and measures to be taken to prevent a similar situation happening in future.
“I don’t want the dog to be destroyed or rehomed, but I think the dog needs to be muzzled if this is the first time the dog has attacked,” Rob added.
“I love cats and dogs; we have had cats and dogs all our lives.
“My advice is to be aware of a dog’s ability to attack and if it’s prone to attack, mitigating action such as muzzling needs to be taken.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here