A boy as young as five has been caught on camera appearing to kick and punch a cat before throwing it at a bush.

Shocking footage shows the child - wearing a ‘here comes trouble’ t-shirt - appearing to repeatedly swipe at six-year-old Sky outside owner Neil Fisher’s home before violently throwing it into a hedge.

But brave Sky bounced back and scratched the boy’s neck as she attempted to defend herself after suffering eight minutes of abuse.

Fortunately Sky suffered no serious injuries, yet Neil claims he had the door slammed in his face when he attempted to confront the child’s parents.

Neil claims Greater Manchester Police are unable to take action against the schoolboy because he is believed to be under the age of criminal responsibility.

The 35-year-old, who runs his own security firm, said: “It makes me so angry that anyone, even a child, thinks it’s OK to treat an animal like this. It doesn’t say a great deal for their upbringing.

“It came to my attention because I could hear the cat wailing and crying and I thought ‘there’s no reason for her to be doing that’.

“I was getting ready to go out and then I came round the corner and this little boy was running away.

“I checked the CCTV straight away and was just disgusted at what I saw. It happened right outside my front door.

“I’m absolutely furious about it. It was heartbreaking to see an animal you love being treated with absolutely no respect.

“I went round to the kid’s parents’ house and his mum just slammed the door in my face before I even got a chance to explain to her what had happened.

“The way the lad is just grabbing her, punching, kicking, then throwing her - it sickens me. You’d hope that people have a basic amount of decency and treat a cat well.

“I was really disturbed watching it back. He can’t have been older than five or six.”

Neil, who lives with his partner, 25-year-old nurse Rae Alder, has reported the incident to the RSPCA and the police.

He said the CCTV, which is attached to his house, showed the boy abusing the cat for a total of eight minutes on Sunday afternoon.

Neil said: “If you watch it, after a while she’s just had enough. You can’t blame her. Two times he tries to pick her up that backs off when she sticks her claws out.

(Image: Mercury Press)

“The police have said there’s nothing they can do because he’s a minor and the RSPCA have taken my details.

“Sky hasn’t any got any lasting damage, not that I can see through all her fur anyway. You can’t ask a cat how it is and they can’t exactly come in and tell you what’s happened.”

Greater Manchester Police had no log of the incident as it was only reported via social media. A spokesman reiterated that the boy was below the age of criminal responsibility.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “The RSPCA’s ambition is for a world in which all people respect and live in harmony with animals. Therefore, as an organisation, we encourage everyone - no matter their age - to treat animals with compassion and kindness.

“Just as parents teach their children how to safely cross a road, it’s also their responsibility to show youngsters how to behave when they’re around pets and animals.

“As part of our work to encourage kindness towards animals, we have a number of volunteer speakers who go into schools and groups to give talks and help influence the next generation to ensure they become responsible and caring citizens.”