The Christmas festivities were spoilt for Edwina Muscat Drago when her beloved 12-year-old cat was mauled to death by a pack of four dogs roaming the streets of Santa Luċija at night.

“I got a knock at the door and when I opened it, there was my neighbour with Lashes, dying in his hands,” she said. The cat was still alive, with blood trailing down her mouth, but by the time Ms Muscat Drago got her to an emergency clinic, she had died in her arms.

“She was my queen...” she said, her voice trailing off.

Lashes was attacked while asleep in a cosy spot on her owner’s front porch on December 18 at about 11.30pm.

She was the latest feline victim of the pack of marauding nocturnal dogs, which residents believe are strays.

We can hear them howling but they only come out at night. They look well-fed but do not have a collar. Maybe they live in the fields

“We can hear them howling but they only come out at night. They look well-fed but do not have a collar. Maybe they live in the fields off Garnaw Valley, but we’re not sure,” Ms Muscat Drago said.

The mongrel dogs have been in the neighbourhood for the past two years and reports to police and local council have proved futile. The council was unavailable for comment by the time of going to print.

“I have heard them every night these past two weeks. Whenever I hear ferocious barks I have started going out to check whether they are attacking some other poor cat.”

She spoke to Times of Malta to create awareness of the danger.

“These dogs have to be caught and checked whether they are chipped.

“It’s crucial that the owner is located. If they have an owner, it is not fair that they are kept off the leash.”

Neighbour Harry Saliba said this was the second time he had witnessed an attack by the dogs.

“I am seriously concerned about elderly people walking their dogs here in the evening. A pack such as this can easily attack a vulnerable person,” he said.