Cat owners in a village have been warned to look after their pets after a second animal appears to have been sprayed with bleach.

Four-year-old George returned to his home in The Street, Boughton-under-Blean, near Faversham, with strange marks on his fur.

Owner Danny Harris, a 42-year-old handyman from Woodgate Close, Faversham, said: "I noticed two marks on his fur today . When I touched them I could smell bleach or peroxide. It's definitely a chemical. At first I thought they were singe marks."

He added: "Whoever did this to an animal must be sick in the head."

He said George, who curls up to sleep with best friend Posie Katie, the family dog, appears to be "well in himself" and is still eating but is now refusing to go outside.

Mr Harris said: "He's a feral cat and normally loves going in and out. But he no longer wants to go outside. He has become very clingy and wants to stay indoors.

"By look of it, he has had bleach squirted over him. When I went to touch the marks with my fingers he really had a go at me."

George lives with Mr Harris's partner Katie Cole.

The latest incident follows a similar case last month when another cat in the same village had bleach poured over it and it fell ill.

A police email circulated as part of a neighbourhood watch scheme warned pet owners to be alert.

A spokesman said at the time: "It is not known how the cat came into contact with the substance."

Mr Harris said: "Last year another cat went missing and was found dead on a lawn at the other end of the village without a mark on it. It is getting very worrying."

He added: "George has a lovely temperament and is a lifeline for my partner. We are keeping an eye on him. If he deteriorates we will take him to a vet."

To report any information call police on 01795 419119 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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