Roaming dogs kill cat on Auckland property after leaping 1.7m fence

Rosy, the 15-year-old cat, was killed by two roaming dogs in Mt Wellington. Photo / Nicole Showler

A devastated cat owner has recounted the moment she found her 15-year-old pet dead in the mouths of two dogs after they scaled her 1.7m tall fence.

Rosy the cat is the latest victim in a surge of attacks by roaming dogs across Auckland as council animal management hunt for the dogs who killed the much-loved pet as she slept on her front doorstep.

Her owner, Mt Wellington resident Nicole Showler, says she is still in shock after the terrifying incident on Tuesday morning.

Showler said she was fast asleep at 4.30am when she heard yapping and “playful barks” coming from outside her bedroom window.

Mt Wellington resident Nicole Showler is grieving the loss of her cat Rosy, who was killed by two roaming dogs in her own front yard. Photo / Nicole Showler

Fearing her own dogs had escaped from outside, she jumped out of bed before realising her dogs were still locked in their crates.

She said her heart sank when she stepped out the front door and was confronted with the sight of two strange dogs, with either end of Rosy in their mouths.

“She’s white and grey, so she stands out in the darkness.

Rosy was the 'queen of her house', says her owner. Photo / Nicole Showler

“You can see her. And two dogs, a tan-coloured one and a black one, had one end each of her and were playing with her.

“As soon as I opened the door, they shot off.

“One jumped over the gate and the other one jumped up the [1.7m] fence and over that.

“I ran up to [Rosy] and thinking that she was still alive, but when I got there, she was definitely long gone… limp like a ragdoll.”

Showler said the incident had shocked her, and was struggling to grasp that her pet of 15 years had met such a violent death.

“She was the queen of our house.

“Like everyone would, the whole neighbourhood knew her and she was just always sitting outside the house or sitting in the dog bed.”

She commended the speed of Animal Control, which arrived at her door 30 minutes after she called and began to search for the two dogs.

Animal Management manager Elly Waitoa confirmed the attack had been reported to Auckland Council.

“An Animal Management officer visited the property and undertook numerous patrols to locate the dogs.

“Unfortunately, the dogs have not been located at this stage, however, the Animal Management team will continue to investigate this matter.”

This week, the Auckland Council’s Animal Management Annual Report showed roaming dogs were a persistent issue, with an unprecedented 16,739 reports made in the year ended June 30.

Dog attacks remain at “unacceptably” high levels, with a record 1341 reported attacks on people and 1253 attacks on other animals, an Auckland Council spokesperson said.

They said Auckland Council responded to almost 40,000 requests for service during the year and impounded a record 10,214 dogs, up 23% from the previous year.