A devastated Fife cat owner has issued a warning after her pet was poisoned with anti-freeze.
Katie Caldwell, from Methilhill, had to have Lily put to sleep after she became seriously ill on Tuesday.
The eight-year-old cat was sick and began shaking violently.
And when her eyes began rolling in her head, Katie phoned the vet.
She was told to take her straight to an out-of-hours vet in Cupar, where it was quickly established she couldn’t be saved.
Katie, a nurse, now wants other cat owners to be on their guard to ensure no more pets suffer the same fate.
Eyes were rolling
Katie was accompanied to the vet by mum and dad Anne Marie and Ken.
Ken, an SNP councillor who also lives in Methilhill, said everyone was very upset.
“Lily was very lethargic and she started shaking and her eyes were rolling,” he said.
“Katie knew something wasn’t right and she suspected she had been poisoned.
“The vet did blood tests and urine tests and they were able to confirm it was anti-freeze.”
The vet treated Lily with ethanol but only gave her a 15% chance of survival.
Anne Marie added: “We thought, we’re going to give her that chance because she’s never been ill. She was always a healthy cat.
“And we thought maybe she’ll be one of the 15% but we’d hardly driven any distance when the vet phoned to say she was too far gone.”
Anti-freeze attacks the nervous system, which stops cats from weeing.
“She could have gone into renal failure and suffered a painful and horrible death,” said Anne Marie.
It’s happened elsewhere
It only takes a small amount of anti-freeze to cause serious symptoms.
And Ken said the family didn’t know whether Lily had ingested it accidentally or if she had been poisoned.
However, he warned of other incidents in the area and urged owners to beware.
“It’s worth alerting people because the vet said there had been other incidents,” he said.
“Lily didn’t wander far so it must have happened nearby.
The effects of using poison deliberately against any animal is a crime and enforceable by law.”
SSPCA chief inspector Mike Flynn.
“But my brother-in-law heard of it happening to a cat in Buckhaven and there was an incident in Kirkland Walk recently too.
“It makes you suspicious.”
Report incidents to police
Katie reported the incident to both the SSPCA and the police.
SSPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: “We are very sorry to hear about the passing of the pet cat and our thoughts are with the family,
“The use of any poison in an open space is illegal as any domestic or while animal could ingest it.
“The effects of using poison deliberately against any animal is a crime and enforceable by law.”
Mr Flynn urged people to keep anti-freeze out of the reach of cats and other animals and to dispose of it carefully.
A police spokesman urged anyone with information to report it via 101.