A family watched in horror as their cat was “thrown around like a ragdoll” and savaged by vicious dogs who tore into their back garden.

Steve Cracknell, and his children, Amie, 22 and Ryan, 23, of Oakhampton Road, Mill Hill, were left traumatised after Guinness (below) was brutally attacked and killed by two “mongrel-like dogs”.

Guinness, 13, was killed on Tuesday

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Their house backs onto Hendon Crematorium and the animals got into their garden through a gap in the fence just before 7am on Tuesday.

In January this year, one of their three cats, Brambles, (below) was also mauled to death in a similar incident.

Brambles, also 13, was brutally savaged in January 

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Mr Cracknell, 55, said: “We feel distraught. There’s no description for it. We’ve all been left so shaken by what happened.

“I heard a commotion and looked outside to see two dogs throwing him about like a ragdoll. There wasn’t a lot of blood but he had a lot of cuts on him. It was heartbreaking.

“When I ran down the garden they tried to escape by swerving under the fence and one still had Guinness in his mouth. I managed to chase the dogs until they dropped him.”

The cat was alive when the electrician carried him back into the house and he immediately phoned the vet to ask for help.

But mid-conversation, Guinness died from his injuries in Amie’s arms.

The family phoned both 999 and 101 who told them it was not a police matter as it was not considered an emergency.

Tabby cat Brambles and black and white Guinness had been family pets since they were kittens. Their remaining cat, Smokey, has now been banned from going outside.

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Mr Cracknell, a former firefighter, added: “I’ve been trying to find out who the dogs belong to but I’ve been unsuccessful. They were bigger than a Staffie but smaller than a Labrador. One had a collar.

“My grandson, Liam, is four and sometimes he plays in the garden alone – the dogs could have got him.

“I am really upset. I consider myself a hard person but that was very traumatic. It was awful. In all my years as a firefighter, I was just as upset seeing my cats die as I was at any incident I've attended.”

Police have now made an appointment to visit the family to take a statement about the incident.