Arrest made after man allegedly 'set his dog upon cat' in horror pet mauling

A man has been arrested after a savage attack in which a dog was allegedly encouraged to “fatally maul” a pet cat.

CCTV footage released last week by the RSPCA showed a man, who was wearing a cap and hooded jacket, approaching a property with his lurcher-type dog on October 23.

The suspect then pointed a large light at a cat sitting on a wall ahead the “extremely disturbing” and brutal attack, which resulted in the animal’s death, in Woodlands Crescent, Walsall.

A 30-year-old man was arrested from an address in Walsall on Tuesday, West Midlands Police said.

The force said he was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to animals and remains in police custody.

Chief Superintendent Andy Parsons, from Walsall police, said: “This was a horrifying act of cruelty on an innocent animal.

“I want to thank the community and members of the public for sharing our appeal and providing information to the police.

“Your information has been invaluable to our investigation.”

After the attack on his cat called Cleo, Gary Truefitt, said: “I was very upset, I went to my neighbour’s house as I didn’t know what to do.

“Cleo will be very much missed. She was a daft cat in lots of ways and would lie along the driveway even when there were cars about, but she was a companion to me.

“It’s just awful to think of her being attacked in this way.”