CAT owner Debbie Mason says her mind has been scarred by the image of finding her pet cat drowned by an intruder, killed in hot water and bleach in her laundry sink.
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Ms Mason returned home on Wednesday to find Puss Puss floating in the sink dead.
Her long grey and white hair had been burnt off by the powerful liquid.
“I couldn’t believe what I was looking at,” Ms Mason said.
“I just fell and slid down the wall and sat there crying and yelling. It was a nightmare.”
Ms Mason’s home in Punt Road, Cobram was ransacked between 8.15am and 9am, with chairs turned over and cupboards opened, but it’s believed nothing was stolen.
Cobram detectives yesterday released an image of a man, unknown to Ms Mason, seen loitering in the area in the days beforehand.
They arrested and interviewed a Cobram man, 36, in the afternoon, but he was released without charge pending further investigations.
Ms Mason had only moved into the house six weeks ago and is now seeking emergency accommodation because she feels unsafe while her cat’s killer is still out there.
She was unable to sleep.
“All I could see was his hand pushing Puss Puss under the water,” she said.
Ms Mason and her daughter Victoria, 14, had adopted the cat three years ago.
“She was horrified; it really just broke her in half,” she said.
Ms Mason described Puss Puss as a friendly cat, who would sleep with her and cuddle with Victoria on the couch.
If caught, the offender will likely face charges of burglary and aggravated animal cruelty.
Albury RSPCA branch president Arthur Frauenfelder said it was despicable to harm to a defenceless animal like a cat.
The man sought is possibly in his 20s, bearded, thin, with blonde, scruffy long hair.
Anyone who has seen him should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.