Adush the Bengal cat

POLICE are investigating the death of a cat reportedly mauled by a dog in Highbury.

Officers are piecing together the sequence of events which led to Adush – a Bengal breed – being attacked in Conewood Street.

His owner Salih Aksan said he had been watching an Arsenal match on September 3 when he heard “horrible” screams coming from outside his home.

Outside, he saw a dog with Adush “in his mouth and shaking him”.

The cat later died from his injuries despite undergoing two surgeries and £15,000 worth of treatment at the vet.

“I ran to the dog straight away, I saw his leash lying on the street, so I took the leash, lifted him up, and that made him release Adush from his mouth,” Mr Aksan said. “I didn’t kick him, I didn’t touch him – I wouldn’t do that. I just took the dog under control, basically.”

He saw two women at the scene, one of whom told him that his cat had “scratched her thigh” and Mr Aksan believes “maybe she was trying to say ‘your cat attacked me, so my dog was protecting me.’”

The memorial tree with children’s drawings

He added: “I don’t want to judge them because my memories are so blurry, my heart was beating so fast. But, as far as I could see, they were doing nothing to stop what was happening.”

The two women left the scene, according to Mr Aksan , and police said no suspects have been identified.

Mr Aksan and his neighbour, Triona Ward, have been posting flyers trying to locate the owners of the dog and said he hopes they will help him cover the cost of the vet bills.

“It’s so sad that they didn’t even feel sorry for the cat,” he said. “I know these two women were walking their dog with no other intention other than to walk him. They weren’t going out hunting small animals. But, it’s impossible not to feel angry. I’ve never had a dog but owners should be ready for an unexpected thing like this.”

Salih Aksan

Neighbours have now set up a memorial to the cat at the tree beside where he used to lounge in the sun. Drawings from children who go to the nearby primary school have been hung up alongside messages of condolence.

“Adush was always outside for the students coming to and from school. They would always pet him,” said Mr Aksan. “He liked the attention – he was a little bit of an attention seeker. I would always make jokes about him, because he would always go up to the ladies and let them pet him. He was a fun little fella and a good boy.”

Ms Ward told the Tribune that “everybody loved this cat – they’d stop for 10 minutes just to pet him”. She has also organised a raffle set to be held at the Legard Road street party to which local businesses have donated prizes, proceeds of which will go towards Adush’s vet bills.

A police spokesperson said they could confirm “there is an investigation into this, no suspect identified at the moment”.