A Fort Collins pit bull has been euthanized after it went into a stranger’s home and killed a pet cat in front of the shocked family, including two children.
The pit bull, an 18-month-old dog named Lucky, chased a 2-year-old tan-and-white tabby named Simon upstairs into a bedroom and snatched the cat in an ironclad bite.
“The dog clamped onto him and never let go,” said Shannon Watson, the cat’s owner. “He was just shaking it like a rag doll.”
Watson described the bite as a “death grip.”
The incident began at about 11 a.m. Saturday, when Watson’s mother knocked at the front door of the home in the 2900 block of Eagle Drive. Watson was taking a shower upstairs; her husband, Dave, was in the basement.
Their daughter, 9-year-old Adriana, answered the door.
With the door barely cracked, Lucky strolled into the home past Watson’s mother, who had her poodle with her.
“He seemed nice enough to both my mom and kids,” Watson said. Adriana’s brother, 8-year-old Ryan, also was home.
Lucky didn’t bother with the poodle, Watson said. In short order, however, the pit bull started chasing a 4-year-old cat, Pretty Kitty, around the home. Simon, who had been sleeping and was awakened by the commotion, hissed at Lucky, Watson said.
The dog chased Simon upstairs with the kids in pursuit.
“That’s when all hell broke loose,” Watson said.
Jumping out of the shower and running into a bedroom, Watson came upon her distressed kids and Simon trapped in the pit bull’s mouth.
“My daughter was screaming ‘He’s killing our cat!’ ”
Meanwhile, Dave Watson had rushed upstairs from the basement, his wife recalled.
“I was hitting the dog, picking it up by the scruff of its neck,” she said.
Lucky remained calm but wouldn’t let go of the cat.
“My husband came up and pinned it to the ground,” Watson said.
After about a 30-second struggle, Dave Watson was able to “pry” Simon out of the pit bull’s mouth. Her husband was a bit scratched up but not seriously hurt, she said. Simon then scrambled under a bed.
The dog, still calm, his tail wagging, was herded into a bathroom and the door closed behind him.
The family called for help and an animal-control agent was sent to the home and seized Lucky.
Simon was taken to a veterinarian but died of his injuries.
Lucky’s owner, Loni Ruiz, surrendered the dog to the Larimer County Humane Society, and it was destroyed, a society spokeswoman said.
Ruiz could not be reached for comment. She has been cited for having an animal at large and a public nuisance, according to a humane society report.
After the attack, the Watson children had trouble sleeping for several nights, and Pretty Kitty is missing its feline pal, Watson said.
“It happened in our home,” Watson said. “We just felt violated.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
