The incident took place eight days ago outside an apartment complex in Santry, north Dublin, just yards from a children's playground.

Over a dozen shocked Northwood residents looked on in horror as a large pitbull and a crossbreed Collie cornered the cat and tossed it back and forth before killing it.

The owner of the dogs was on a bike and waited until the animals were finished before calling for them to go with him. The man, who was aged about 20, laughed when residents asked him to take control of the animals.

Neither of the dogs was on a lead or muzzled as is required by law. The incident was captured on a nearby CCTV camera.

Local people say the man regularly lets the dogs run free and fear that it is only a matter of time before a child is attacked and badly injured.

One of the residents drove to Santry garda station and a patrol car arrived on the scene within minutes but the man and dogs were already gone.

A female resident said: "It was around 10am so there were lots of people out walking or going to the shops.

This man came cycling up on his bike and the two dogs were running behind him. They had no leads or muzzles and started to chase a woman's cat. It got away but they cornered a stray cat and literally ripped it into pieces, tossing it back and forth. It was one of the worst things I've ever seen.

"The owner stopped on his bike and just looked on laughing. He did not do a thing to stop it. He eventually called for the animals to come but the Collie would not let the cat's body go. It was every bit as vicious as the pitbull.

"It was obvious to everybody that they had been trained to fight. A Collie is a good-natured dog and I shudder to think what must have happened for it to behave like that.

"This happened very close to a busy children's playground and young kids were looking on from apartment balconies as this attack took place. There is absolutely no doubt that a child will be next unless something is done to stop dogs like this being allowed to run riot."

A small terrier was also attacked by two unmuzzled pitbulls in Glasnevin last week and was left permanently deaf as a result.

A 13-year-old girl was left badly injured recently after being attacked by a pitbull in Finglas, while five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson died in England last January after being mauled by a dog.

The manager of Dublin City Council's dog pound recently warned that dangerous breeds of dogs are being bred in people's homes. Pitbulls can earn their owners up to Euro3,000 in a single night from organised fights.

Pitbulls are completely banned in Northern Ireland and must be sterilised in Britain.

Under Irish law, the 10 breeds of restricted dogs, including pitbulls, Alsatians and Rottweillers, must be muzzled and on a lead in a public place. The maximum fine for breaching this is just Euro1,900.