Yes, but she will be abusive to the irresponsible pet owner, not to you.
What a horrible thing to have happened! I’m so sorry for the kitty. I second Acid Lamp’s suggestion of explaining to them that look, the dog living with them is at fault, but once the legal ball starts rolling, the dog will likely be put down. You are not only dealing with the trauma to a beloved pet, but also on the hook for considerable vet bills. Sorry the dog owner is broke, but if she can’t control her dog, and wont take responsibility for that lack of control, then yes, you *will *take them to court, and that dog will in all likelihood lose his life. You don’t want that, I’m sure they don’t want that, but they arent leaving you a lot of options. If that’s the way they want it to go, then I don’t know else you can do. I love dogs, a lot, but it sounds like that dog is dangerous. And it sounds like they know it but don’t much care.