Sickening video of a man deliberately setting his dog on a defenceless pet cat has sparked a nation-wide manhunt.
The RSPCA has released the surveillance camera footage in the hopes of catching the man responsible for the violent behaviour.
The 55-second clip shows the man, who is wearing a cap and a hooded jacket, approaching a home in Woodlands Crescent, Walsall and pointing his torch towards a cat on a wall.
The man eggs on his dog, appeared to be a lurcher, as it pounces and plunges its teeth into the feline.
The man fled the scene as the dog attacked the cat, which resulted to the death of the cat.
Cat owner Gary Truefitt discovered what happened when his cat Cleo didn't return home and he checked his home security camera footage the next day.
Gary, who has kept Cleo for eight years, reported the matter to the police and notified the animal charity for an appeal.
He posted a picture of Cleo on Facebook on Thursday and wrote: "My beautiful cat, Cleo. Brutally killed by the senseless act of a dog owner setting his dog onto her in my own yard."
Gary also told RSPCA: "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. I was very upset, I went to my neighbours 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."
RSPCA 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' 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."
Mirror Online has contacted West Midlands Police for comment.
