Horror as cat killed by dog on the canalside at Kinver

Diane Taylor has been left devastated after the attack on much-loved Tabetha which happened at around 10am on Sunday March 27 as she and her husband Andrew and son Josh were moored on the Staffordshire and Worcester canal near Hyde Lock.

She said: “The dog got on our boat, took her by the teeth, and ran off with her. I tried to chase after the dog, but it was too fast. By the time we got to her, she was dead.”

Diane, who has three other cats, told how she fainted at the shock of what happened to Tabetha, who was approaching two-years-old.

Tabetha the cat

She said: “I was inconsolable. I was nearly taken off in an ambulance as it took a while for my husband to get me to come around.”

The family have been touring the country’s canals for around 18 months having left their cottage in Devon for a life on the waterways with their four felines.

Tabetha had lived most of her short life enjoying canal-boat rides across the country's waterways

The loss of Tabetha, however, has left them “heartbroken” and too traumatised to ever return to the area.

Diane, aged 58, hit out at the owner of the killer dog, a greyhound, for allowing it off the lead and she thanked a runner who was passing who stopped to comfort her after the incident which was reported to the police.

Staffordshire Police confirmed officers were called to the scene at around 10.50am after reports a cat had been attacked by a dog.

A spokesperson for the force said: “On arrival, officers sadly found the cat had died.

“The cat’s owners were left shaken following the incident.

"The dog’s owner is to be spoken to by police.”