CCTV footage captured the moment a man let himself into a stranger’s front garden before deliberately setting his dog on a pet cat.

Gary Truefitt discovered the footage when his beloved cat Cleo failed to return home one evening.

He checked his CCTV and was shocked to watch his cat, which he had owned for eight years, being mauled to death on camera.

The video shows a man, with a cigarette in his mouth and wearing a cap and hooded jacket, approaching the home in Woodlands Crescent, Walsall, West Midlands, with his lurcher-type dog.

He can then be seen encouraging his animal to attack the cat, which is sitting on a wall, while shining a torch in its direction.

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The man even lifts the dog up to help it carry out the killing and the cat is yanked from the wall and onto the ground.

The dog then sinks its jaws into Cleo, shakes her from side to side, and drags her off camera while the dog’s owner runs away from the scene.

Mr Truefitt said: “I noticed my gate was left open which was suspicious so I decided to check the CCTV and was completely shocked by what I found.

CCTV shows a man deliberately setting his dog on a pet cat in Walsall, West Midlands, on 23 October, 2019. (RSPCA/SWNS)

“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.”

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The RSPCA has launched an appeal to try and trace the dog owner and is liaising with the police.

Trainee inspector Fiona Howell said: “This is an extremely disturbing incident and we’d like to find out who this individual is as soon as possible.

“We believe there may also be offences of ‘lamping’ [the use of strong lights to temporarily blind an animal so that it freezes in its tracks] shown here and are also liaising with the police.

“If anyone does recognise the individual in this footage they can contact the RSPCA inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018.”