A tiny village in Essex is the unlikely home of a serial cat killer, according to distraught local pet owners. Skip related content
Related photos / videos Police hunt serial cat killer Enlarge photo Eight cats have died in Runwell, near Wickford in the last two years after being poisoned with anti-freeze, while two more are missing.
Locals are convinced the spate of feline fatalities is the work of just one man or woman, and the police are now investigating.
The latest victim, Leo, belonged to Terry Lewis, 30 and died just two weeks ago. He's now lost three cats to poisoning and spent £10,000 on vet bills. When a poster of one of his missing cats was torn down five days in a row, he hired a private security firm (which cost £3,000) to watch over the area but still could not find the culprit.
Caroline Middleton, 39, also had two cats poisoned in October last year. One died almost immediately, the other survived with medication but died last month.
Carol and Richard Howarth also think they were the victims of poisoning after two of their cats disappeared. They've now put up an £800 electronic fence to stop their new cat leaving the garden.
Richard told the Basildon Reporter: "I think it's some nasty person who doesn't like cats messing in their gardens."
Police enquiries in the area have not come up with any leads. The environment agency tested a local stream to see if it contained anti-freeze, but these also came up negative.
Anti-freeze is sweet-tasting and attractive to cats, but it's incredibly poisonous and contains ethylene glycol, which causes crystals to form on the kidneys and leads to renal failure.
After ingesting even two spoonfuls of the liquid, cats become thirsty and unsteady, begin vomiting and then collapse unless they are given treatment.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/38/20110426/tuk-police-hunt-serial-cat-killer-107bc4a.html
Related photos / videos Police hunt serial cat killer Enlarge photo Eight cats have died in Runwell, near Wickford in the last two years after being poisoned with anti-freeze, while two more are missing.
Locals are convinced the spate of feline fatalities is the work of just one man or woman, and the police are now investigating.
The latest victim, Leo, belonged to Terry Lewis, 30 and died just two weeks ago. He's now lost three cats to poisoning and spent £10,000 on vet bills. When a poster of one of his missing cats was torn down five days in a row, he hired a private security firm (which cost £3,000) to watch over the area but still could not find the culprit.
Caroline Middleton, 39, also had two cats poisoned in October last year. One died almost immediately, the other survived with medication but died last month.
Carol and Richard Howarth also think they were the victims of poisoning after two of their cats disappeared. They've now put up an £800 electronic fence to stop their new cat leaving the garden.
Richard told the Basildon Reporter: "I think it's some nasty person who doesn't like cats messing in their gardens."
Police enquiries in the area have not come up with any leads. The environment agency tested a local stream to see if it contained anti-freeze, but these also came up negative.
Anti-freeze is sweet-tasting and attractive to cats, but it's incredibly poisonous and contains ethylene glycol, which causes crystals to form on the kidneys and leads to renal failure.
After ingesting even two spoonfuls of the liquid, cats become thirsty and unsteady, begin vomiting and then collapse unless they are given treatment.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/38/20110426/tuk-police-hunt-serial-cat-killer-107bc4a.html
