Rise of twisted cat killers to be tackled by MPs

Politicians are to debate cruelty to cats after a huge surge in the number being poisoned with anti-freeze.

Animal charities are now dealing with 500 cases of cat poisoning every year and have seen a spike in cases in recent weeks.

They are calling on the courts to throw the book at criminals who deliberately target the pets.

The sick trend has become so widespread it is to be raised in Parliament next week.

Tory Mark Spencer asked for time to be set aside for the debate after a spate of poisonings in his Sherwood constituency.

His request coincides with reports that a serial cat killer poisoned Hyndburn MP Graham Jones’s ginger tom Jaffa.

Jacqui Cuff, of charity Cats Protection, said: “There has been a whole spate of poisonings in June and July.

“We’ve had a surge in reports.

“It’s all too easy for people to find out how to do these things.

“We need to make it clear it’s unacceptable in society.

“We must make sure there are appropriate sentences to indicate the seriousness and act as a deterrent.”

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals received 398 inquiries about cats being poisoned last year while its Scottish equivalent, the SSPCA, deals with around 100 cases a year.

Last month, several cats in Aberdeenshire died as a result of the sickening behaviour.

Alan Smith, a partner with Seafield Veterinary Group, said a number of cats have been brought in to surgeries in recent weeks by owners who had found them in a critical condition. The majority had to be put down.

Mr Smith said he believed the cats were victims of “deliberate poisoning with anti-freeze”.

The deadly ingredient in anti-freeze is ethylene glycol, an odourless substance that is mildly toxic to humans but deadly for many animals.

It’s thought there are many accidental cases of poisoning during the winter when homeowners sometimes use it to stop water features in their gardens from freezing.

However, there is evidence that huge numbers of cases are deliberate acts of cruelty.

In May, Scottish pensioner Norman Fairfull was found guilty of poisoning a pet cat using chicken contaminated with anti-freeze.

The 74-year-old, from Kirkcaldy, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the animal by leaving the meat in his garden within easy reach of animals and children. He was convicted of breaching the Animal Health and Welfare Act.

Similarly Donald Waterworth, 79, of Leyland in Lancashire, was fined £125 and ordered to pay £1,665 in court costs in August 2014 after he admitted placing tuna laced with antifreeze in his garden.

His actions led to the death of five cats who died from suspected poisoning.

An SSPCA spokeswoman said: “Without any evidence it is difficult to say whether poisonings have been deliberate or accidental.

“However, outwith the colder weather, there is less need to use anti-freeze which increases concerns of misuse.

“Sadly, there are people out there who wish to cause harm and death to defenceless pets.”