Dog attack victim calls an ambulance - for his cat

Darren Battersby watched in horror as his Persian tabby Gucci was set upon by three dogs at the garden gate of his East Dene flat.

His first reaction was to risk his own safety and he suffered bites and bruises to his right arm.

And after police officers arrived, selfless Darren (45) decided he wanted one-year-old Gucci to be given medical help first.

He called for a pet ambulance and paid for treatment at the PDSA Hospital in a vain effort to save the suffering cat.

“I have every right to try to protect a loved one when something like that happens,” said the dad-of-five.

“I was attacked myself and had to go to hospital a few days later for a tetanus shot and antibiotics.

“But we delivered Gucci and fetched him up from day one. He was part of the family and we paid £100 to make sure he was seen that night.”

Gucci—named because he liked wife Joanne’s favourite perfume—died later from the attack injuries.

A police spokeswoman confirmed that they were investigating, adding: “Officers were called to an incident of a cat being attacked by either two or three dogs at about 9.20pm last Wednesday.

“The pet owner declined an ambulance, but did call one for the cat.”

Anyone with information about the incident should call South Yorkshire Police on 0114 220 2020.