A cat’s body was dumped in a bin after it was attacked and killed by a dog in Sidmouth, leaving its owners shocked and disgusted.

Abbi Saunders contacted the Herald following the incident near The Byes last Friday (August 24).

The 25-year-old has now called on all owners to keep their dogs on a lead in residential areas and to not let them roam free if they cannot control them.

The body of 11-year-old Garfield was recovered from a bin near his home.

Abbi said her mum heard a woman shouting at a dog at around 6.30am, but didn’t think anything of it, until she left for work and overheard someone saying they’d seen a ginger cat being dumped in a bin.

The distraught owner called East Devon District Council (EDDC) and a worker rushed out to recover the feline, unfortunately they were too late.

Abbi said: “My mum was devastated that someone had tried to depose of him in their rubbish. It is disgusting.”

Abbi said the dog’s owner then turned up on her doorstep two days later to apologise and to offer to pay for the cat’s cremation. She added: “The woman said she parked her van on our road and when she opened the door the dog jumped out ran down the road, chasing the cat into The Byes. She said she was really sorry and that she panicked and didn’t know what to do, so threw the cat in the bin.

“My mum is better now the lady has come forward but she stressed how important it was the dog was muzzled and kept on a lead at all times.

“What if there is a case where a child is involved and was injured? I know you can’t compare a domestic cat to a child but it’s the principle.”

Abbi said there was an ongoing issue with owners parking up and letting their dogs run free down to The Byes. She added: “It’s dangerous and could cause and accident. It’s also a built-up residential area with people, dogs and cats that shouldn’t be chased off by other dogs that aren’t under control.”

Abbi said she wanted to call on the council to put up a sign reminding dog owners to keep their pets on leads until they are out of the built up area.

An EDDC spokeswoman said: “This very distressing attack has already been reported to us and investigated by an officer from our Environmental Protection team. We are glad to report that the matter has been resolved amicably between the two parties involved.

“We do, from time to time, receive reports of dogs being allegedly out of control, along with dog fouling complaints, in The Byes, but we are not aware of any regular or ongoing problems in this area.

“We would encourage anyone with information about the identity of offending dog owners to get in touch with us in confidence on 01395 517457 or at environmentalhealth@eastdevon.gov.uk.

“We would like to remind people that it is actually an offence to not keep dogs on leads on any road or pavement in East Devon; it would not be practical or necessary to install additional street signage specifically in Byes Lane.”