Northampton neighbourhood ‘lives in fear’ of ‘out of control’ dogs, following string of cat attacks

Obelisk residents have spoken out after a kitten was killed in one of the latest ‘frenzied’ attacks, believed to be carried out by the same two unattended dogs
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A Northampton neighbourhood has voiced their fear and anger, following a series of cat attacks believed to be carried out by the same two dogs in the area.

Heather Iles, 42, kept three cats at her house in Obelisk Rise, Kingsthorpe. That number whittled down to two after her nine-month-old kitten, Luna, was brutally mauled by two unattended dogs on Tuesday, July 12.

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Heather, who was at work at the time, was made aware by neighbours after the attack was caught on CCTV.

CCTV footage of the two dogs chasing Heather Illes' cat, Ronnie.CCTV footage of the two dogs chasing Heather Illes' cat, Ronnie.
CCTV footage of the two dogs chasing Heather Illes' cat, Ronnie.

She said: “I am absolutely traumatised. I have two children, 16 and 12, and they are absolutely devastated and, to go through something like that, it was totally avoidable.”

Eyewitnesses to the attack told the Chronicle & Echo that it took four adults to pry the dogs - described as pugs - away from Luna and the dogs’ owner was allegedly nowhere to be seen during the attack.

CCTV footage shows two unleashed dogs - one black and one tan - darting across the road and jumping garden walls in pursuit of Luna - a black kitten. Luna attempted to escape by scrambling up a tree but fell down, resulting in her attack.

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Neighbour and eyewitness, Francis Boddington, 74, said: “The noise they made when they were attacking her, it was horrifying. They were like pack animals. It made me feel sick.

Luna the cat passed away from her injuries on Friday, July 22.Luna the cat passed away from her injuries on Friday, July 22.
Luna the cat passed away from her injuries on Friday, July 22.

“There were two ladies shaking like leaves whilst the dogs were just careering everywhere.”

Luna was taken to Rhodes Veterinary Surgery, where she passed away from her injuries ten days later on Friday, July 22, leaving Heather with a bill in excess of £2,000. That same day, Heather reported the incident to the police.

This was, unfortunately, no isolated incident.

Another Obelisk Rise resident who did not want to disclose his full name - Michael, 42 - claims the same two dogs have been “running riot” since September 2021 when they also chased his pet cat.

CCTV footage shows the fatal attack of nine-month-old kitten, LunaCCTV footage shows the fatal attack of nine-month-old kitten, Luna
CCTV footage shows the fatal attack of nine-month-old kitten, Luna
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Michael said: “When I first saw the dogs, I was washing my car. I saw them running full pelt and the owner was nowhere to be seen.”

It was his daughter’s first day of school and he was taking pictures of her when he claimed he saw the dogs running past in pursuit of his cat. Thankfully, the cat was able to jump the fence and escape.

Michael continued: “It has put the whole community on edge because we do not know what these dogs are capable of.

“How long until it is a toddler? My daughter has only just turned five and I am scared of leaving her out the front garden for this reason.”

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On Monday (July 25), two dogs – which residents believe were the same dogs – attempted to attack again, targeting Heather’s ginger cat, Ronnie. This was captured on CCTV footage seen by Chronicle & Echo and took place in the front garden of James Sales, 45.

James said: “The dogs were centimetres away from this cat. Twice now, this has happened in my front garden.

“The dogs leave their house and come tracking here because they know where to flush the cats out.”

On this occasion, Ronnie was able to leap onto one of James’ bins and then onto the roof of his flat. This incident was reported to police.

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James added: “I always say once is a mistake, twice is a habit. These dogs have been off leash more than once.”

Another Obelisk Rise resident, Michelle Wright, 57, owns two cats and one dog and refuses to let her cats outdoors now because she is fearful of an attack.

She said: “Normally, I take my dog over the back field and it is such a shame because it is such a beautiful area but we are just so nervous we won’t walk our dog out there now.

“It just needs to end. They are causing so much distress everywhere. They just need stopping before another incident happens again.”

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Since Heather reported the attack on Luna to police, she claims the Force Control Room (FCR) emailed to inform her that no further action would be taken as it is “not a police matter” and she should contact the dog warden at West Northamptonshire Council (WNC).

Heather had already contacted the dog warden the day following Luna’s attack (July 13) and again on July 18. After this newspaper contacted WNC on Tuesday (July 26), Heather received an email from the dog warden - seen by Chronicle & Echo - to say it is a police matter.

According to Heather, police got in touch again via email to say that the incident was a police matter because of the risk of danger to herself and her cats but it was not a “notable offence.” The email said that officers visited the address of the dogs’ owner on July 14 who confirmed their pets were involved in an attack on Luna.

Chronicle & Echo contacted police on Monday, July 25 to ask why they initially did not take further action. This newspaper has since been told that officers from the Northampton Neighbourhood Policing Team visited Heather on Tuesday morning (July 26) and officers will now be investigating.

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Inspector Andy Blaize of the Northampton neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We have had a number of reports relating to dogs living locally who have chased and attacked other animals. Very sadly, on one occasion, this has led to the death of a nine-month-old kitten.

“We will be investigating each report and taking appropriate action against the dog’s owners. It is the responsibility of all dog owners to ensure that their pets are under control at all times.”

Anyone who has information which could assist with this investigation is asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 160 of 25/07/22.