Cat poisoning on rise in Lothians

Lynne Erskine's cat Dodi was killed by anti-freeze

The cats, who were from the same street, were poisoned with anti-freeze, which can kill felines within days through kidney damage and multiple organ failure.

After confirming the deaths, the Scottish SPCA released figures which showed the charity had received seven reports of cat poisoning in the Lothians since January.

A total of seven cases were reported in the area for the whole of last year, while only two cases were reported during 2008.

The Scottish SPCA said poisoners often put anti-freeze used in car radiators into saucers of milk to target cats as they appealed for help in tracing the culprits behind the latest incidents.

Both of the cats who died this week were from Glenmavis Drive in Bathgate, West Lothian. The animals were each taken to a vet, where one was suspected of being poisoned with anti-freeze. The second was confirmed as anti-freeze poisoning following a postmortem.

Mother-of-two Lynne Erskine, whose cat Dodi was one of the two that died, said she was "heartbroken" over the loss.

She added: "We've now lost two cats in the space of a year as one of our cats died last October. I now think it's more than likely that he was poisoned, too.

"Dodi was a rescue cat we gave a new home to in February. He was a much loved family pet who was brilliant with both my daughters. It's a real loss to the whole family."

Mike Flynn, the Scottish SPCA's chief superintendent, said: "Both cats were young and healthy and died as a result of poisoning.

"Sadly, the number of cat poisoning incidents has increased rapidly over the past three years. However, cases such as this are very difficult to investigate as there is rarely a witness or evidence against the perpetrator.

"We would advise cat owners in the area to be vigilant and report anything suspicious."

In 2007, the society was alerted to 19 instances of suspected cat poisoning across Scotland, which increased to 23 incidents in 2008 and 34 incidents in 2009. Already this year 44 reports have been received across the country.

But there can also be accidental cases of poisoning which can occur if cats lick leaking coolant from badly-maintained cars and trucks.

Anyone found guilty of pet cruelty can face up to six months in jail, while offenders can also be fined up to 5000.

The Scottish SPCA urged anyone with information about the Bathgate poisonings to call its helpline on 03000 999999.