A mother has spoken of the terrifying moment a dog ran into her home, killed the family’s cat and ran towards her nine-year-old daughter.

The youngster, Sianna Clark, and her sister Hannah Nolan, 17, were upstairs at their house in Charlton Crescent, Barking on Tuesday when they heard their cat Jerry screeching from downstairs.

They ran down to see Jerry in the jaws of a Staffordshire bull terrier. Moments later, according to mum, Janet Murphy, the dog dropped the cat and ran towards Sianna growling.

“When she saw the dog come towards her, Sianna, with her sister, ran upstairs and locked themselves in a bedroom,” said Janet, 43. “They were terrified.”

“My neighbour then saw the dog running out of the house with Jerry in its mouth, before stopping at its owner’s house nearby, where it dropped my cat, who was dead by that time.”

Janet, who was at work at the time, was contacted by the neighbour, and called police soon after.

“They said there’s nothing they can do because the dog didn’t actually attack my daughter. I think that’s unbelievable - it makes me so angry.”

She said her daughters were traumatised by the experience and devastated at losing their pet.

“Jerry was part of the family, we’re so sad to have lost him and in such a horrible way,” she told the Post.

The Post is waiting for a police response.