A distraught cat owner has described how she watched her beloved pet die in front of her in Fintry – in what she fears could be a deliberate poisoning.
Gemma Mutch, 24, from Finlaggan Crescent, looked on in horror as her much loved cat, Prince, died on Saturday.
Gemma said: “It was awful. I was totally hysterical.
“Prince was in so much pain and distress and there was nothing I could do.
“He died writhing in agony in front of me around five minutes after coming back to the house.”
Prince, who was three, had gone out on Saturday after sitting happily on Gemma’s lap for much of the afternoon.
She said about 20 minutes later she and her sister Lindsay, 17, saw what they thought was Prince outside, clearly distressed.
‘He was completely swollen’
Gemma said: “Lindsay went out to look for him. Initially we weren’t even sure if it was Prince because this cat was three or four times the size.
“It was awful. He was completely swollen.
“He was falling about all over the place as if he was drunk and he was vomiting blood everywhere.
“He died only a few minutes later and he was in agony. I was hysterical. I have been haunted ever since by watching him die like that.”
Gemma added: “I believe Prince could have been poisoned– and I fear it was on purpose. He was perfectly well when he went out and then 20 minutes later he was dead.
“I really want to warn others to be aware because I firmly believe what happened to Prince could have been malicious.”
Second incident in Fintry
The incident comes after a cat was reported as having bleach poured over it in Fintry last week.
Owner Jennifer Mcartney was able to wash the bleach off her cat, which is currently nursing kittens.
Both incidents were all reported to Dundee charity Missing Pets, Dundee and Angus who advised the owners to contact the SSPCA.
Cat owner warning
Meanwhile, Missing Pets Dundee and Angus, a group with thousands of followers on social media, released a warning earlier this week for people living in the Dundee and Ardler area.
It followed claims cats had been deliberately run over.
Their post said: “We have been asked to make a warning about what has been deemed as deliberate acts of knocking cats over after one was sadly killed just after 10pm on Monday night.
“The cat’s brother was killed in similar circumstances at the weekend. Our thoughts are with their devastated family – there are no words.”
The group has urged anyone who witnesses abuse of cats in the area to get in touch with the SSPCA.
SSPCA urges people to report animal cruelty
Scottish SPCA chief superintendent, Mike Flynn, said, “Deliberately harming an animal is an offence punishable by law.
“If we receive any reports of this nature to our helpline we will launch a full investigation.
“If anyone believes someone to be purposefully trying to injure an animal please phone our confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”