Pet owner Jade Harle fears someone is poisoning her cats in Brompton with antifreeze
00:01, 12 May 2013
A pet lover fears six of her cats have died of antifreeze poisoning in just one year.
Young mum Jade Harle is terrified of letting her pets outside after the most recent death a few days ago.
Chubba, a year-old Siamese cross-breed, came home vomiting and struggling to walk.
She took him to the vet where he died before he could be put down. His sister Nala is still missing.
Jade, 23, of Manor Street, Brompton, said: “I’m convinced it’s being done deliberately. It’s too warm for people to be having antifreeze hanging about and it’s too many now to be a coincidence.
“It’s driving me crazy. I’m thinking about moving to be honest. The thought that someone is that close to my home and capable of doing this is horrible.”
Jade’s problems started last summer when grey tabby Olive died mysteriously, followed by half-Siamese Misty and half-Burmese Salem.
Vets at the PDSA hospital, Gillingham Business Park, told Jade both Misty and Salem had been poisoned by antifreeze.
She has also had two cats disappear – Nala and a tabby, Lancelot.
Related article: Sheerness woman fears cats are being poisoned with antifreeze
It is a strain on her and her toddler son Alfie. She said: “He’s three and he keeps asking where they all are. I can’t tell him, can I?
“A lot of my friends have reported the same thing. People think their pets have gone somewhere but they never come back.”
"It’s driving me crazy. I’m thinking about moving to be honest. The thought that someone is that close to my home and capable of doing this is horrible" - Jade Harle
PDSA vet Elaine Pendlebury said it is almost impossible to tell when cats are poisoned deliberately because the fatal dose is so low.
Just a teaspoon and a half of antifreeze can kill a cat, and they are attracted to its sweet taste.
“The first signs come on very quickly, usually within half an hour,” she said. “First it hits the central nervous system so you get vomiting, weakness, fits and not being able to walk.
“The second signs are when it affects the heart. You get fluid building up in the chest and it can lead to a coma or death.
“The longer the time before treatment, the less favourable the outlook.
“If you see your cat drinking anything you’re a bit suspicious of or you see any of these symptoms you should contact your vet straight away.”
