My grandchildren, son and daughter-in-law were devastated to find their beloved cat had been visciously attacked, mauled, and ripped to shreds sometime in the early morning hours this morning (Monday, October 22), in the Park Avenue/Rockview Lane/Cloudland Avenue area.
 
The attack and killing of this beloved pet was definitely done by a predatory dog because the predator went onto their porch and around a corner to attack the cat in its own bed.  We know the dog did not come across the cat in the yard because it would have climbed a tree or run under the house to escape the attack....not run to its bed.  If the cat had been aware of the dog prior to the attack, it would have gone through the bannister rails or jumped over the bannister to escape.  From the scene, we can tell that the cat put up a good fight for it's life, and we SINCERELY hope that the dog has very SEVERE wounds all over it's face and neck!  There are pools of blood and large tufts of cat hair spread from the bed, around the porch, onto the walkway, and across the yard a good 100 feet.  
 
This is very graphic, I know, and I apologize, but it needs to be graphic so that everyone can be aware of this viscious dog that is loose in our neighborhood!  We are very concerned about this dog being loose because not only does it now have the taste of blood and killing in its mouth and mind, but from the visciousness of the scene and the shredded body of the cat, if this dog gets hold of a small child, or even a large child or an adult, the consequences will be horrific!
 
If you see a strange dog running around, and especially if that dog appears to be wounded on its face and neck, please be cautious, and please, please call Animal Control immediately.
 
If you think you know whose dog this is, please contact me through this forum.  It would be greatly appreciated!  No child (or even adult) should ever have to wake up to find the scene my grandchild found this morning when he went out to feed his beloved pet!!!

Of course, we considered that it could have been a coyote or a bobcat that came up over the bluff and down Park Avenue, but in my years of living in Bluff Park I have never heard of any bobcat or coyote sightings.  If they are around, that's very disconcerting with all the small children playing outside at Bluff Park Elementary, at the park at the pool, and in their own yards!
 
I think that if it had been a coyote or bobcat or other critter, it would have eaten the cat for a meal.  Whatever attacked the cat just seemed to have "played" with it until it tired of the game or the cat stopped fighting.
 
We really believe that because of the timing that it is someone's dog that they were too lazy to put on a leash and walk and just let it out to "do its business ", and the dog knew the cat's home turf.  If so, their dog went home pretty bloody and banged up!  
 
The scene and cat's remains reminded me of pictures you see on the news about dog attacks, and that dog definitely needs to be put down because it WILL attack something or someone again!  
 

This was definitely not a raccoon.  A grown cat might sustain some damage, but would not be killed by a raccoon, and the raccoon would most likely look as bad, if not worse.  If we have a coyote, we all need to be on the lookout.  Please anyone report any sightings, but I think if there is one in the neighborhood, it will make the news even if the person who spotted it never heard of this site.
It sounds like a dog is the most likely culprit.  I am so sorry for your loss, and for the trauma for the child and parents.
Did any one hear anything?  This could not possibly have been a quiet event.

Can you give me the name of the vet or clinic?  If you can't tell by my name, I'm a big-time, long-term cat lover.  I really want to talk to them.  Thank you very much for any info...

That's where I take my pets too.  I trust them both.  Thank you so much for the info.

That's very interesting (and disturbing) that we have an actual sighting by Kelly of a coyote on Park and Chapel on the Friday night before my son's cat was killed on Sunday night/Monday morning.  My son has since found out that two cats up the street on Park toward the bluff were killed recently, and that a large group of feral cats that hang out around the Shades Crest Baptist Church area has been dwindling fairly rapidly lately.
 
It would seem that this coyote has found a feeding ground and is coming around more frequently than we might think....probably every night!  From Kelly's description of the coyote she saw, it is sickly and scraggly looking.  It makes me wonder if it might be rabid.  
 
What can we do about this animal in our neighborhood?

I was asked which vet my son took the cat's remains to for analysis and I responded that he took it to Bluff Park Animal Clinic.  I certainly wasn't trying to promote a certain vet clinic over another and hope no one took it that way!  

Thank you, Admin.  I was going to call Hoover Animal Control when I got off work today, but you had already done it.  I had looked them up on the web, and it sounded like they did not deal with wild animals, so I'm pleased with the response you got.  Please everyone be diligent, follow Admin's advice, and report any sightings if you feel sure of what you saw.  Posting any suspicious events on this site might also be helpful since they are aware of the site's existence now.  Recap, if you have any other info that might be helpful, maybe you could give them a call.  
I also want to add, about the vet, I was looking for info, and was not attempting to promote any vet.  Recap was responding to my question, and if anyone took his answer or my comment that way, I apologize.