A furious Ayrshire mum is appealing for the public’s help after her husband, daughter and cat were attacked by an “out of control” dog.

Gail Anne, who lives in Stewarton, was walking with her cat Salem and her family on Troon South Beach when a dog off the lead came across and attacked the feline.

The father and daughter were injured trying to protect their pet, in what Gail admits was a terrifying situation.

She said: “We were taking our cat with us at Troon with Salem in my daughter’s lap, and the small terrier saw our cat and just totally went for it.

“It was like a rabid dog and I was terrified that it was going to tear my cat limb from limb – it just went for the jugular.

“My husband picked up the cat as high as he could but it was scratching his head and neck out of fear, and the dog was trying to bite him to get at the cat.

“My daughter also took a nip to the hand, so there was blood everywhere and my cat had even lost its claws.”

Gail says the dog’s owner was unconcerned by the incident, and even blamed the family for bringing their cat on a walk.

She explained: “He walked slowly over to us to see his dog attempting to tear the cat apart, he just didn’t care.

“He got hold of the dog and then just walked off. He refused to stop and said ‘who brings a cat to the effin beach anyway’.

“The man should be charged and the dog put down. I get that it’s natural for dogs to go after cats but that animal was uncontrollable.”

Gail is now asking for the public’s help to identify the man, with the police also making enquiries following the incident.

She added: “The dog was a small light brown terrier, and the incident happened around 2.25pm on September 4.

 “The man was in his late 30s with a black baseball cap and sunglasses, and walked off down the road towards the railway bridge.

“The police were phoned straight away and they have taken a statement so hopefully something can be done.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We received a report of a man, girl and cat injured by a dog on Troon beach on Monday, September 4. Enquiries are ongoing."