GIBSONTON, Fla. — A rescue cat's second chance at a loving home was cut short after an attack by a neighbor's pitbull.

The family's young daughter, 2-year-old Mila, instantly fell in love with her new cat Kiki after her family adopted it after the holidays this year.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY NEWS | The latest headlines from Hillsborough County

“She was really, really wonderful with kids," said Mila's mother, Kimberly Hall. “She looked like she had already been through a really rough life.”

Hall says two pitbulls escaped from her next door neighbor's home Thursday, located on Symmes Road. One of the dogs darted straight for their family's cat.

“It breaks my heart that this is the way it ended out for her," said Hall. “It really crushed me that it could have been prevented."

The Gibsonton couple alerted Hillsborough County officials in late November about the dogs, worried they were mistreated, malnourished and posed a threat to their toddler.

The county says someone did go to the home the next day, but could not locate the pitbulls. Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center is now investigating what will happen with the dogs next.

The dogs' owners were not home Thursday night and ABC Action News has confirmed that they are in the process of being evicted.

"I really thought we did everything we needed to do to show them this was an urgent case and then nothing happened," said Hall.