AN animal welfare group has received numerous calls about a dog attacking and killing cats in a Portlaoise housing estate.

Distressed and angry callers claim that a person is coming into the estate and deliberately setting a lurcher on cats, with the result that some family pets have been injured or killed.

The Laois Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LSPCA) says it has contacted gardaí, after getting countless complaints about the alleged incidents in O’Moore Place.

The LSPCA said yesterday: “We have had numerous calls regarding a lurcher being let off in O’Moore Place by an individual, with the intention of killing cats. Apparently cats have been killed already. We have handed this information to the gardaí.”

Owners can be prosecuted under a range of legislation, such as the Animal Health and Welfare Act and the Control of Dogs Act, if there is evidence of cruelty to animals or failing to keep a dog under control.