GARDAÍ ARE PROBING claims that a gang of youths are handing live cats over to be savaged by dogs in Cork.

The disturbing incidents have allegedly occurred in the Mahon area over the past number of weeks, with the latest happening on Wednesday night.

Yesterday, the Neil Prendeville Show on Cork’s RedFM featured a caller named Louise who said she witnessed the “horrific” death of a stray cat a few weeks ago that she claims was taken by a gang of youths to be savaged by two dogs.

“It was a Wednesday evening, around 8-8:30, and I went to close my windows and there was this commotion going on outside,” she said. “There was a huge group of boys, about 10 groups of boys, two grey [...] lurches.

“They actually handed this poor, defenseless cat to the lurches.”

Louise said she ran out of her house with her son who fought the dogs off the cat, but it had already died.

“He died in front of us. I watched his lights go out, poor little things,” she said. “It’s one of the most horrific things that I’ve ever actually had to witness.”

However, this was not an isolated instance of animal cruelty in her area.

According to Louise, a mother cat and her kitten – who both belonged to her deaf neighbours – suffered the same fate separately on Monday and Wednesday last.

Her voice breaking with emotion, the caller recounted a reoccurrence of the disturbing act on Wednesday night, this time by two youths outside her house.

“I saw last night’s one as well,” she said. There was only one dog this time, but I heard the commotion. I heard the pet cat screaming.

“But of course, by the time we got there, he was done. The cat was dead.”

She said her son once more came out to intervene, this time joined by a passerby as they chased the perpetrators away, who this time had one dog with them.

Gardaí were called to the scene and took witness statements, she added.

The cat killed that night was the mother of a kitten which was savaged two nights earlier, which Louise insists was carried out by the same group of youths.

“They wear black hoods. The smallest one has to be about seven years old. The oldest ones are teens. They laugh at you when you shout and scream. They think it’s funny.”

She claims to have heard from a neighbour that youths in the area have been seen to be using nets and black bags to catch cats, rabbits and other small animals so that they can throw them to their dogs in the park in broad daylight, allegedly in front of families with kids.

The Journal contacted An Garda Síochána who released the following statement: “Gardaí received reports of suspected animal cruelty that occurred in the Mahon area of Cork City on the 8th of April 2025. Enquiries are ongoing at this time.”

The ISPCA was also contacted for comment.