A cat owner has shared her devastation after her pet was mauled to death by a dog outside her home.

Krystal Fulker rushed out of her home after hearing the screeching of her cat Tommy to find him in a dog's jaws.

Now she is calling for justice after the dog and its owner fled the scene, leaving 16-year-old Tommy in the street.

Krystal said: “We fed Tommy about ten minutes before it happened. We heard a cat and a dog shouting.

“We are still in shock, I think that’s the worst bit.

“Tommy was so friendly, people would see him going into their gardens.”

Krystal, 21, said she and her partner Sam, 20, heard screeches coming from the road just before midnight on Saturday outside her home in Whitehawk Way in Brighton.

Tommy the catTommy the cat (Image: Krystal Fulker)

Having rushed outside she found the dog, believed to be a brown mastiff, savaging Tommy behind a bus stop where he often sat.

The couple said they chased the dog, which still had the cat's body in its mouth, and its owner up the street but he ran away.

It was only after the couple pleaded for the cat back that the dog’s owner stopped to drop Tommy before fleeing again.

Sussex Police are investigating the mauling.

Sergeant Vincent Lamb from the Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "We are currently making enquiries to establish the circumstances of a report that a cat was killed by a dog in Whitehawk Road, Brighton, on Sunday, September 22.

"We understand incidents of this nature can be traumatic and deeply upsetting.

Tommy the catTommy the cat (Image: Krystal Fulker)

"We are actively pursuing all viable lines of enquiry to understand the circumstances surrounding this incident, identify the dog owner, determine the breed, and consider appropriate enforcement actions where necessary and proportionate to prevent future occurrences.

"We strongly encourage anyone who witnesses a dog behaving dangerously out of control to report it to Sussex Police."

Anyone who has further information in relation to this incident, has CCTV or dash cam footage is asked to contact us by reporting online or ring 101 quoting serial 15 of 22/09.