A family are distraught after thugs set a dog onto their cat, ripping it to pieces.

Peter Corrigan, Christine Gill and their son Wayne Corrigan, 20, were devastated when they found the remains of nine-year-old Smudge in brambles near their home.

And they were horrified when they learned he had been killed in a deliberate attack after the dog was thrown at him.

The RSPCA today condemned the attack. They said the dog may have been trained to attack other animals on a signal. Now the family is calling for the thugs to be brought to justice.

Security guard Mr Corrigan said Smudge had been missing for a day when they found his remains.

"We were looking for him," Mr Corrigan said. "We were worried he might have been injured."

The family's worst fears were confirmed when a neighbour said he had seen a cat being savaged outside their home, in Cavendish Road, Idle, Bradford.

"He said he had been looking out of his window and had seen the cat on the grass," Mr Corrigan said.

"A red car with two lads in it pulled up and one of them got out of the car and put his hood up."

Mr Corrigan said his neighbour saw the man open the car boot and get out a torch before lifting out a dog.

"He chucked the dog at the cat and it tore into him," he said. "And then it was as if Smudge was a piece of rubbish. He just chucked him into the brambles."

The family called police after being told what had happened by their neighbour.

A police spokesman said: "We are investigating reports that a dog may have attacked a cat. Obviously it's very upsetting when a family lose their pet."

Police are asking anyone who knows anything about the attack, which happened in the early hours of Friday, to contact them on (01274) 376059.

Figures released by Bradford RSPCA last year showed West Yorkshire was a UK hotspot for animal cruelty.

Heather Holmes, of the animal charity, said new figures will be revealed in July, adding that she expected little change in the findings.

The figures are based on the number of people phoning in with complaints and the numbers of prosecutions for cruelty.

Mrs Holmes said what had happened to Smudge was unusual.

"There is a minority of people in our society who dream up ways of being cruel to animals," she said.

"This is cruelty in regards to the cat and also in regards to the dog. It's been stuffed in a boot and it's been trained to respond to certain stimuli."

She said it was unlikely the animal was being trained for dog-fighting but was more likely to have been used for its owners' cruel pleasure.

Mrs Holmes urged pet owners not to worry about letting their cats out because of what had happened.

"There are thousands of people who own cats and their pets will never be attacked in this way," she said.

Miss Gill, a checkout assistant, said she had not been able to sleep since the attack.

"I cannot imagine what he must have gone through," she said. "It will take us ages to get over this. How could someone be so cruel and evil? I hope they catch them."

In a second attack, pet owner Chris Walsh, 59, had to have his beloved cat put down after her back was broken when she was mauled by a dog.

Devastated Mr Walsh said 20-year-old Sammy had been a source of comfort to him during recent treatment for bowel cancer.

And he condemned dog owners for not keeping their pets on a lead.

Mr Walsh said he saw the dog in his garden. "This tan-coloured Bull Mastiff was running up and down and sniffing around," he said. "I approached the dog at first because I didn't think it had done anything, but a neighbour called out "Don't go near him, he's had Sammy'.

"Lying in the garden was my poor cat, lying there in absolute agony. She couldn't move her back end."

Mr Walsh, a van driver, of Thornton, said Sammy had been in good health despite her age.

"I expected her to go with a heart attack or something, but not by being savaged by a dog," he said. "I just miss her so much."