It was an ungodly caterwauling sound – the hideous howling noise tomcats make as they square off.

The overture to a cat scrap.

It happened about 5am and it woke Ben Campbell from a deep sleep.

'My bedroom window was open. It was a dreadful sound.”

And when he went to investigate, when he looked down from the balcony outside his first floor bedroom, his heart sank.

There was Rosie, the Campbell's much-loved tabby, bailed up by a pack of dogs.

By the time Ben made it to the front door, the dogs were high-tailing it. They believe one of the dogs had Rosie in it's mouth because they could hear it howling in fright and pain.

Ben's got an ID.

'One was black or dark brown and short-haired, one was tan and the other was the colour of a retriever/Labrador,” remembers Ben.

It's a tough time for 13-year-old Ben and his 15-year-old sister Emma.

'Yeah, they were very fond of that cat. Like all kids are of their pets,” says Mum Patrica Campbell.

That all happened 10 days ago. Still no Rosie. 'No, it doesn't look good,” says Patricia.

Dad Rob Campbell has added concerns – for a community.

'Those dogs demonstrated what I believe was a pack mentality. That's dangerous. The next time it could be a child. And it can't carry on.”

Then Patricia posted an APB on the Papamoa Facebook page.

'We think these dogs mauled Rosie. If anyone finds a scared tabby, please let me know.” It was tagged with a sad emoticon. And it seems the Campbell's experience wasn't an isolated one.

'We have had a black and tan dog trying to get our bunny in the middle of the night. They are a menace and we have chased them off at 2am some nights.”

Another rabbit on Simpson Rd has been 'hassled by these dogs” and another two rabbits at different locations weren't so lucky. One more Papamoa Facebook subscriber said that, sadly, she had witnessed dogs of the same description attack another cat. 'They definitely behave like a pack and I am scared to walk our dog because of them.”

There were lots of reports of these dogs roaming Papamoa. 'They scare me and they definitely behave like a pack.”

The stories triggered a call for action on the Facebook site.

'Why don't you bloody dog owners keep your animals from roaming our community during hours of darkness?” asked one resident. 'As a community we really need to band together.”

'These dogs have been roaming for months.” And 'These dogs need to be taken off the street and the owners held accountable.” Another person said: 'Oh this is hideous, makes me feel sick”.

There was even talk of vigilante action. 'Shoot the bukkas (sic),” demanded one Papamoa resident.

Another wanted to know 'why the bloody hell isn't the dog squad onto this?”

Well, it is.

Tauranga City Council's animal services team leader Brent Lincoln was due to interview Ben Campbell about the attack on Rosie this week. Just so they can make an informed decision about the identity of the attacking dogs.

'There's lots of conjecture about which dogs have attacked the cat, but we must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt before taking action. We have spoken to dog owners in the area to ensure their dogs are properly contained on their section while the investigation is completed.”

Brent says while most dog owners take great care to keep their dogs under control and well behaved, some dogs can create a disturbance or become a community safety issue.

'The council relies on information from the public to help keep our city safe. We ask that anybody who witnessed this incident, or any other incident of dog aggression or roaming, contact us on 07 577 7000.”

Brent says to assist the process note the collar type and colour, any noticeable marks on the dog, and the colour and length of the dog's coat. And of course the best evidence is a photograph 'if it's possible and it's safe to do so”.

Meanwhile the Campbell's are still holding out Rosie will wander back into their lives.

'I miss her too,” says Patricia. 'I just expect her to be here.”