A pack of dogs belonging to a farm is terrifying residents of Msida, Ħamrun, Marsa and even St Venera, having first savaged stray cats but now also threatening people, residents have claimed.

One of the residents said they have filed several reports both with the Animal Welfare Department and the police over the past few months, but although the owner was approached, the dogs continue to roam freely at night.

The owner of the Msida farm apparently claimed that the dogs were on the road because they manage to escape, the resident said.

The dogs were captured on video jumping on car bonnets and one of the volunteers who feeds the stray cats was cornered by the dogs during one of their attacks.

"The dogs are in good condition and are not out in search of food. They are killing machines, both a detriment to stray cat communities and are a danger to the public because anybody decent would do their utmost to try tosave an animal in obvious distress," they said.

"We are dismayed that the torture and death of the stray cat community seems to be of no consequence to the authorities concerned and that the dogs are allowed by the farmer to roam and kill at leisure and nothing happens."