CCTV footage caught the shocking moment a man grabbed a 'frail cat' and threw her across the street.
The cat's family members sobbed after watching the clip, which was taken at around 1pm on Tuesday, April 12 on Palmerston Drive in Litherland, Merseyside. They were left feeling 'shocked and angry' after seeing what happened to beloved cat Lily, the Liverpool Echo reports.
In the distressing video, a man stops when he sees a black cat sitting on a wall behind a wheelie bin. He then appears to reach over to pet the animal before clenching his fist to grab it.
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The cat flinches as the man picks it up and throws it across the street. The cat runs away in distress and the man continues to walk off down the road after the completely unprovoked attack.
Lily's family, who have asked to remain anonymous, said a woman living on their street told them she saw a man hurting a cat and encouraged them to check their CCTV. When they looked through the footage they were shocked to find out it was nine-year-old Lily being hurt.
One of the owners said: "My sister couldn’t stop crying after seeing the video and I think my parents were more shocked and angry. My sister's dad put a post on Facebook and people are absolutely outraged and disgusted.
"Lily is known in the street for always being outside and sitting in the neighbours' plant pot. I really hope it hasn’t affected her going outside. She’s really old and frail too.
"I’ve moved out and have two cats myself and would be distraught if something like that happened to mine, so close to our home where they should be safe."
The family has now made the decision to keep Lily indoors "in case this is something this man does regularly", and have sent the CCTV footage to Merseyside Police.
