A graphic video shows a beloved family cat being viciously attacked by a dog and a man on a bike, who appears to "finish off" the wounded feline and flee with the body, an Oregon family told Newsweek.
The Rosu family wants "justice" for their cat, named Nicklas, who was a member of the family for 17 years. They filed a report with the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), Maria Rosu told Newsweek on Sunday night. She said they fear their loyal cat is dead and want the man involved to be held accountable for his and the dog's actions.
Rosu, of Portland, said that when her family's cat didn't come inside, they checked their Ring camera and were shocked by what they saw, calling their attack on their cat "horrific."
The video showed what appeared to be an unleashed dog running onto the Rosus' property, followed by a man in a yellow shirt riding on a bike, Rosu said. The footage shows the dog terrorizing 17-year-old Nicklas, also called Nicky, as the man "stomps" and uses his bike to "squish" the feline before riding away with the cat's body.
"He picks up the front of his bike and smashes Nicky," Rosu said. "You can visually see him take the front tire and squish Nicky."
Newsweek reached out via email on Saturday to PPB for comment.
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Cat Feared Dead After Brutal Attack
The Rosu family in Portland, Oregon, wants justice for their 17-year-old cat, named Nicklas, after a security camera at the family's home caught a man and dog attacking Nicky, and the man taking the cat's body.
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On August 13, as Rosu and her husband Rick got ready for bed, she said, they couldn't find Nicklas anywhere so they decided to check their surveillance cameras, knowing that Nicky liked to sit on the driveway.
She described the horrific footage to Newsweek, saying that they could hear the cat and dog fighting when the man rides up on a bike and rams into the dog, knocking the canine off the cat. The dog runs away briefly before circling back while the man "picks up the front of his bike and smashes Nicky."
The video, obtained by Newsweek, shows the dog grabbing Nicky by the tail and dragging the senior cat down the driveway after the initial scuffle. It appears that the man follows the animals and attempts to get the dog away from the cat, who is not moving at this point. The dog can been seen running around the bike, trying to nip at Nicky before backing off and moving to the other side of the driveway. The man, who does not get off his bike during the roughly minute-long altercation, appears make a stomping motion with his feet.
"It looks like he is trying to finish Nick off, Rick Rosu said.
The Rosus said they were unable to see clearly, but either the dog or man grab Nicky's body before taking off down the driveway. It's been over a week since the attack, and the family has been unable to find their cat's remains.
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Rick Rosu said that they couldn't believe what they watched on the security footage.
"There's audio on the camera," said Rosu. "So, you hear the dog and the cat. What you don't hear is anything, no commands of this man telling his dog to stop. He didn't say stop. All you hear is silence. Nothing from him whatsoever."
He shared more than 40 photos of the beloved family pet in a public Facebook post on August 14. In the post, he said he wouldn't share the video of Nicklas' attack because it was "very graphic."
"Nick was a great cat and part of this family for over 16 years he would walk us down to the mailbox everyday and days that it was wet he would just sit just inside the door he didn't like getting his paws wet," Rosu said in the post. "Nicklas rest in peace my boy and keep my spot warm love you old boy."
It's with a very heavy heart that I share with our family and friends. Our boy Nicklas/Nicky was attacked and murder last night in our driveway....
Maria Rosu told Newsweek that they miss Nicky and are trying to adjust to life without the cat that has been a member of their family for 17 years. The Rosu family has filed a police report, hoping that Portland police investigate and find the man and his dog.
"Justice for Nicklas," said Rosu. "That's what I am looking for. If that man had stopped his dog in the beginning, Nicky may still be alive. He might have been hurt, but he could have still been alive."
PPB told local media that this situation could qualify as animal cruelty and possible first-degree theft. Anyone with information is urged to contact Portland police and reference case #23-214243.
Update 08/21/23, 4:45 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment and photos from the Rosus.
