A Bradford mother-of-three has spoken of her terror after she watched her cat being mauled by a dog, which she says then went for her children.

Julie Wojdylo, of Ewart Place, Great Horton, said she was in her back garden when the large, lurcher-type dog chased her before grabbing her cat, Tiger, and shaking him in its mouth.

“I was hysterical, screaming, shouting,” she said. “It was a really nasty, horrible dog.

“It was shaking the cat for a good couple of minutes. He’s got a broken leg and puncture wounds.”

She said after the dog dropped the cat, he “launched himself” at her children – a nine-year-old and 16-year-old twin boys – before her husband managed to get everyone inside the house.

“We were all very frightened,” she said.

Mrs Wojdylo described the dog as big and dark brown with black spots, wearing a thick brown collar.

She said she had reported the incident to Bradford Council’s dog warden.

Her husband Nicholas said the dog “looked like it wanted to attack” and urged residents to look out for it.

“People need to be careful because of this,” he said. “There’s children out on the streets, and it could have been a hell of a lot worse.”

The dog looked as though it had been out all night and like it had not been fed for a “good few days”, he said.

“I had seen it before, sniffing around, but I don’t know who it belongs to.”

He said it was “touch and go” whether the cat would survive and the family was now facing a vet bill running in to hundreds of pounds following the incident at 9am on Thursday.

Joanne Housley, Bradford Council’s environmental health manager, said: “We are aware of the incident and are investigating the matter. We will also liaise with the police.”

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “Each case is considered on an individual basis.

“If a dog is dangerously out of control in a public place, people are advised to contact either the police or the Council dog wardens who will be able to advise accordingly, taking into account the specific circumstances of the incident.”