A Dundee pet owner has warned others to the on the look-out after her cat was sprayed with bleach.
Jennifer Mcartney, 29, from Fintry, believes her two-year-old cat, Pebbles – who is mum to four three week old kittens – was deliberately targeted by someone in the local area.
Her suspicions are heightened by the fact her other pet cat, Zeus, was also sprayed with bleach last year before having to go on a course of antibiotics and steroids.
She said: “This is the second time this has happened to one of my cats and I think someone pretty local is spraying them with bleach to stop them going into their garden.
“It’s an absolutely disgusting thing to do to any animal and I want to warn other people to be on the lookout.”
Pebbles had given birth to her kittens at the end of March and was still nursing them full time.
Thursday was the first time the cat had left the house in weeks and Jennifer added: “She went out last night to go to the toilet and pretty much came straight back in again.
“We immediately noticed that there was a very strong smell of bleach coming off her.
“Pebbles was desperately trying to clean herself and was very distressed.
“I was concerned about Pebbles digesting the bleach, particularly as she is still feeding her kittens, so I tried to wash the bleach off her in the shower.
“That obviously wasn’t easy, a real nightmare, but I wanted to get the bleach off her as quickly as I could.”
The cat will now be taken to the vet for tests and to check there was no lasting damage during the bizarre incident.
“I can’t believe that anyone would deliberately do this to an animal, it’s an absolutely disgusting thing to do,” Jennifer said,
“Cats obviously roam free and they will go into gardens but surely there is no need to be spraying them with something as dangerous as bleach – especially one like Pebbles, a female cat could have kittens at home.”
A spokeswoman for Missing Pets Dundee and Angus said: “We feel this incident should be highlighted to warn other cat owners of potential risk.
“This is the second cat in the same area to be a victim of this, so obviously close by owners need to be vigilant.”