Family's pet cat and dog 'deliberately killed with poison-laced sausages'

‘At about 3am I heard the cat screaming and he was lying in an unnatural position on the stairs, with his claws hooked into the carpet,’ says owner

(PA)

A family has been left “heartbroken” after two treasured pets died from suspected poisoning in the space of a month.

Maya Mellor, of Haydn Road, Liverpool, said she believes both Deadpool the cat and Honey the Yorkshire Terrier, who vomited and suffered seizures, were deliberately targeted.

Ms Mellor said she was told by RSPCA investigators they were looking at the possibility that poison-laced sausages were involved.

Ms Mellor, 27, said a number of pets have died in suspicious circumstances or gone missing recently in the area, near Yewtree cemetery, adding that shortly before Honey died last month the body of a stray cat was found near the bottom of her garden.

Ms Mellor, who has two children and works for an eco-friendly cleaning company, said she is so shaken she is looking to move from her home of five years after Deadpool died on Monday.

She said: “It’s been devastating, I have little boys and it’s affected them so much.

“It’s heartbreaking; it really is not just for my animals but for everyone round here that has had pets go missing or die. I feel it was deliberate.

“At about 3am I heard the cat screaming and he was lying in an unnatural position on the stairs, with his claws hooked into the carpet.

“He wouldn’t stop screaming, he couldn’t move. I called PDSA and got a taxi straight away, but he started to fit in the taxi.

“It was too late by the time we got there and they had to put him down. I have one cat left and it’s not allowed to leave the house, I can’t chance that now.”

The RSPCA said it was unclear at this stage if poisoned food had been put down, but appealed for anyone with information to call it on 0300 123 8018.

Ms Mellor said her neighbour has had several cats die prematurely in recent years, adding “that back garden is like a cemetery”.

Matt Forshaw, a senior vet at Huyton PDSA in the city, said Deadpool was limping, vomiting and having seizures and despite treatment his “condition rapidly deteriorated”.

Ms Mellor says she lives close to a takeaway but has been assured by bosses that they do not put poison down.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “At this stage we do not know if these incidents were accidental incidents or deliberate.

“But in the meantime we would ask for everyone in the area to keep an eye out and check where they keep their pesticides and chemicals, including antifreeze, and make sure it is secure and out of the way of animals,” she added.

“We would ask that they make sure substances are carefully disposed of, rather than dumped on a roadside or in a park too.”

The RSPCA added that signs a pet has been poisoned include depression, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, breathing difficulties and bad breath, twitching or seizures.

Deliberately poisoning a protected animal like a cat or dog is an offence and carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison, and/or an unlimited fine, the RSPCA said.

Press Association