Animal charity releases video of a violent attack on a cat in Hartlepool

RSPCA appealing for information after a cat was attacked.

The animal charity has released CCTV footage which shows the man violently kicking the cat, which is being attacked by a dog at the same time.

They have launched an investigation into the incident in which the dog was running loose in a residential area of the town.

The animal welfare charity was contacted on Thursday morning by a man who spotted the incident unfold while looking back through footage on his home CCTV system.

Following the release of the footage, the RSPCA is now appealing for the man featured in the footage to get in touch to help with the investigation.

Inspector Stephanie Baines, who is leading the investigation, said: “The incident occurred on Saturday, January 7, shortly before 10am, according to the timestamp on the CCTV.

"In the video, a man is seen cycling into Brian Honour Avenue at 9.57am with a small black dog running loose beside him.

"The dog can be seen darting all over the road and pavements and is clearly out of control. It then shoots off to a parking area behind the houses and attacks a light-coloured cat.

"As the cat tries to escape by scaling a fence, the dog continues to attack and drags the cat back down to the ground. When the man arrives to intervene he can be seen violently stamping and kicking at the cat and slamming his bike tyre down.

"The cat eventually escapes and runs to hide under a car. We do not know who the cat belongs to or what injuries it sustained in the attack.

"We are now appealing for information from the public to help us establish what happened on the day. We’d also like to speak to the man seen in the footage.”

The incident is also due to be reported to Cleveland Police.

Insp Baines said: "This footage is very upsetting to watch and we’d like to hear from the cat’s owner to find out if he or she is okay.

“If anyone can help us piece together exactly what has happened or recognises the man or dog shown in the video, we’d urge them to get in touch by calling our inspector appeal line on 0300 123 8018.”