Poisoned dog chews

On the BBC website there is a story about five cats being poisoned with antifreeze.  It took place in North Yorkshire (in the North of England). The story is dated April 10, 2015.  Below the article are four more articles dated between February 3, 2015 and April 9, 2015.  All of them relate to deliberate poisonings of either dogs or cats in various parts of England. How to catch a poisoner?

On the 3rd of February there was a spate of poisonings which killed up to 10 cats in Norwich (Southeast of England).  On February 5, 2015 there were cat deaths through antifreeze poisoning in a place called Wanborough, England.  On February 26, 2015 the story describes how somebody tied rat poison to dog chews and left them outside.  This happened in Derbyshire in the North of England.  And on April 9, 2015 a dog walker found poisoned sausages.  This happened in Hailsham (East Sussex, England).

Returning to the five cats referred to in the first paragraph, this happened in a town called Thirsk.  All of the cats were poisoned on the Hambleton estate between February and April 2015.  This would be a housing estate.

North Yorkshire police in conjunction with the RSPCA are investigating.  Naturally, all cat caretakers in the area are being asked to be vigilant about any changes in their cat’s behaviour which indicates poisoning.  I hope also that they have been advised to keep their cats inside but no doubt not everyone has heard about this and I’m sure that many domestic cats on the estate still roam outside while their owners are unaware of the dangers.

A police officer, Clare Mayes provided advice: “if your cat appears to be lethargic or unsteady on their feet, you need to seek urgent veterinary assistance.  The sooner your pet receives treatment, the better the chances of survival.”

I found it a bit upsetting to be casually surfing the Internet looking for cat news stories in the UK to then bump into a very short story, as described, about cats being poisoned by antifreeze and below the story four more examples of the deliberate poisoning of companion animals in England over quite a short period of time.

It is a hard sometimes to believe that England is a land of animal lovers.