Cat owners have been urged to vigilant after two animals were poisoned in Deeside, north Wales, killing both of them.
“I’ve spoken to the vet and they said this is a regular occurrence in the Deeside area,” RSPCA inspector Rachael Davies told ITV News. “They don’t seem to be happening in one specific area, as they have been dotted around about all over Deeside.”
Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the maximum penalty for those found guilty of poisoning cats is up to six months imprisonment or a fine of up to £20,000.
The RSPCA said signs of poisoning can include cats seeming drowsy or depressed, vomiting, seizures, difficulty breathing and appearing drunk or uncoordinated.
The latest investigation follows a spate of cat poisonings in the Anglesey town of Holyhead two years ago, when six cats died.
At the time Gwen Evans, chairman of the Anglesey branch of the RSPCA, told Wales Online that they feared the poisonings were deliberate.
She said: “The number of incidents makes us think this is deliberate. I can’t understand how anyone could do this to a cat. The ones we are being told about are only the pet cats, how many strays are also dying from this that we don’t know about.”
Many animals find the taste of antifreeze very attractive, and ingesting even the smallest amount can lead to kidney failure and death, especially in cats.
