A HEARTBROKEN dad-of-two told how a dog owner allegedly set his mutt on to his family’s beloved pet cat, which died from its wounds minutes later.

Lorry driver Mark Burns, 32, of Apple Close, in Poole, revealed how residents in a neighbouring cul-de-sac told him how the dog had chased two-year-old Tommy into a bush, emerging seconds later with the pet in its jaws.

The dog, believed to be a lurcher, then released Tommy when its owner called it back, allowing the mortally wounded cat time to crawl under a car parked in Pear Close, where it died ten minutes after the attack.

Mr Burns told how the death of the family pet last Thursday had devastated his two young children, six-year-old Angel and nine-year-old Dylan, and added that the RSPCA was now investigating reports that the dog owner deliberately goaded his dog to attack the cat.

“We won’t be getting another cat, no,” he said. “I don’t want to put my family through something like this again.

“When we were kids we had a cat for 20 years and we expected the same for Tommy. It’s just such a pointless waste.

“The children were crying and crying and it was impossible to explain to them why it happened. We’re now waiting to see if anyone does anything.”

Mr Burns said Tommy, whom the family bought as a kitten, did not come home on Thursday night, but it was not until neighbours telephoned his partner Sonya Crosswell on Friday that he was able to find out what had happened to the him.

The RSPCA confirmed an inspector was now investigating the attack. A spokesman for Borough of Poole added that it would wait for the outcome of the investigation before deciding what action to take.