A WITNESS described how a cat was mauled “like a chew toy” after two youths appeared to set a large dog on the defenceless animal.

Tilly, an eight-year-old tortoiseshell, was attacked and killed in Urmston, by what seemed to be a pitbull terrier cross.

The witness, who asked not to be named, said: “I saw two guys with a dog and then suddenly the dog was throwing the cat around like a chew toy.

“It looked like the guys set the dog on the cat. They weren’t trying to the get the dog off, they were just watching and looked uninterested.”

Tilly, who was attacked at about 3pm on Friday, belonged to Lance Collier, 53, of Bradfield Road.

Lance, who has had Tilly since January last year, said: “I was out when it happened but I’ve been told that people saw two lads with a dog and a puppy. Tilly was sitting in my driveway and they came right the way in and the dog attacked her, picking her up in its mouth and shaking her.

“I got home at 9pm and a neighbour told me Tilly had been mauled and dragged down the road.”

A resident found Tilly on his driveway at 3.30pm, thought she was a stray who had been run over, and placed her body in a hedge, which is where Lance later found her.

He added: “Tilly was covered in saliva when I picked her up, I was devastated. I’ve lived here for 27 years and nothing like this has ever happened before.

“Tilly was my family, she was beautiful and very gentle and I was very attached to her. I won’t get another cat as I’d hate something like this to happen again.

“People need to be vigilant, I dread to think what would have happened if this had been a child.

RSPCA inspector Paul Heaton said: “It’s the responsibility of the dog’s owner to keep their animal under control in a public place and when it’s off its lead.

“If these people allowed their dog to attack another animal and this was proven it would count as cruelty.

“It would be classed as criminal damage if the cat was being attacked and the dog owner made efforts to call the dog off.”

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson confirmed that an investigation with the RSPCA was ongoing.