Galveston Island residents are taking extra precautions this week after a pack of dogs attacked and killed two neighborhood cats.

Nancy Horton, 64, told the Galveston Daily News that the size of the motley group has increased steadily since she first saw them in late July. Early Tuesday morning, she counted up 10 mixed-breed dogs in her yard on 63rd Street just below Broadway.

"That part of the island tends to have a lot of loose cats," said Caroline Dorsett-Pate of the Galveston Island Human Society. "We've heard of similar incidents in that neighborhood, but not to this extent."

“A dog barked and woke me up,” she said. “I looked over my rail and my yard was full of dogs . . . This is a major crisis in our neighborhood.”

After the pack killed one of her cats as well as a neighbor's, Horton contacted local police and brought several area cats to the Galveston Island Human Society (GIHS) for safety.

Sergeant Joel Caldwell from the Galveston Police Department's Animal Services Unit searched the vicinity, but has been unable to find the pack.

"We've been hearing rumors that the dogs are located around 58th and Broadway," GIHS executive director Caroline Dorsett-Pate told CultureMap. "Apparently, they're being spotted behind a building that used to be a funeral home before Ike.

"That part of the island tends to have a lot of loose cats. We've heard of similar incidents in that neighborhood, but not to this extent. The packs usually disband before getting this large. It's a sad situation."

While she warned parents to keep close tabs on small children, Dorsett-Pate suspected that this current batch of dogs has had regular exposure to humans and should not pose a major threat to people. Nevertheless, residents should use extreme caution if they see the animals.