The Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (SPCA) has been trying to control a seemingly uncontrollable situation in Swieqi as a pack of stray dogs have been tearing cats to pieces and frightening residents, some of whom told this newspaper that this has long been a problem, but has worsened in the past few days.

A Swieqi resident first called The Malta Independent newsroom yesterday morning, saying the stray dogs have been a terrifying sight to many parents, scared to let their children out in the streets unaccompanied.

Michelle Borg from the Stray Animals Support Group also called in to speak about the atrocities taking place in Swieqi.

As I drove around the area with Rita Giordano, also from the Stray Animals Support Group, the dogs were nowhere to be seen, but Ms Giordano explained that she had seen them in the morning – there were about 17 of them.

“I have neutered several stray cats and treated them. They became lovely cats and I had been feeding them every day, but the dogs have torn them to bits,” she said as she showed me a dead black kitten at Luxol Grounds.

She fed the last two remaining cats that sought refuge in an abandoned building and showed me cat remnants in the vicinity.

“I’ve been battling with these dogs for five years, and I pick up dead cats every day. Sometimes I feel that it’s a lost battle,” she said, adding that she had just collected a few dead cats that very morning.

Contacted for comment, SPCA Malta president Barbara Cassar Torreggiani said the association was doing its very best to deal with the situation.

“I’m in Swieqi right now. We’re looking for the dogs – I know they were here this morning,” she said, adding that the SPCA has already identified a place to keep the dogs should they manage to capture them.

“We face a number of problems – some of the dogs are not stray at all, and some people refuse to put their animals down once we seize them.

This is why we encourage micro-chipping,” said Ms Cassar Torreggiani.