A pair of dogs killed a cat and bit a woman who was trying to save her neighbour’s pet.

What should have been a relaxing afternoon turned into a nightmare for neighbours Mary Burns, 68, and Jan Arney, 72, of Norton Avenue, Canvey .

Two dogs got loose and attacked Mrs Burns’s Siamese cat, Simba, as he sat on a wall in Mrs Arney’s garden.

Mrs Burns was out at the time and raced home as soon as she got a call from her distressed neighbour.

Mrs Arney ended up in Southend Hospital ’s accident and emergency department after one of the dogs bit her hand as she tried to save 11-year-old Simba.

Animal lover Mrs Burns and her husband, Barry, who have three other cats, a Jack Russell dog and a small flock of ducks, have been left devastated by what happened on Saturday.

She said: “There’s such a hole in my life now, he was a terrific cat.

“When an animal dies it takes me ages to get over it. To lose a pet through old age is fair enough, but for him to die such a horrible death is awful.

“Jan said she can still hear him screaming. It was very traumatic for her. She’s such a lovely neighbour and did so much to try to save him.

“One of the dogs even pulled Simba out of her arms when she had hold of him.

“I don’t want anything to be done to the dogs, other than for them to kept under control. It’s not their fault, it’s the owner.”

Simba was taken to Riverside Vets on Canvey, but died 90 minutes after he arrived.

Mrs Arney said she believed the dogs were Staffordshire bull terriers. One was a rusty brown colour, the other was grey.

Staff at the veterinary surgery contacted Essex Police and a spokeswoman for the force said the incident had been referred to Castle Point Council’s dog warden.