Cat poisoning victims start support group (From Essex County Standard)
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Cat poisoning victims start support group
9:00pm Friday 31st August 2012 in News By Helen Barnett
PET owners who have been victims of cat poisoning have launched an online support group.
Glen Brunsden, of Empire Road, Dovercourt, set up the Facebook group after three of his cats had to be put to sleep within two weeks of each other.
They were three of five in the street to suffer suspected anti-freeze poisoning, which is still taking animals’ lives in Dovercourt.
The group, Victims and Friends of Cat Poisoning, Dovercourt, comes as other owners have reportedly lost cats to poisoning in Bay Road, Dockfield Aveue, Pound Farm Drive and Hordle Street.
Police and the RSPCA are still unsure if the poisonings are deliberate, or if there is a car leaking anti-freeze.
Similar situations have been reported across north Essex. In Colchester, Anne Rodger, 69, of Granville Road, believes seven of her cats have been poisoned by anti-freeze in the past ten years.
Mr Brunsden said: “I want to get as many members as possible on to my Facebook group to try to get people to come forward with information.
“It is frightening we are still hearing of more cases. There must be about 20 cats now which have died. I walked near Hordle Street the other day and it was so eerie. It was heartbreaking.
“I have been out on a couple of patrols to green areas where cats would go and I urge anyone who has been a victim to contact the police and the RSPCA.
“The more cases they hear of, the more attention they will give to the situation, and the more it is written about in the newspapers and on Facebook will, hopefully, help to try to track down the person responsible.” Insp Chris Willis, of Harwich Police, said they received an initial report and were looking into the cause of the animal deaths.
He said: “We don’t yet know if a crime has been committed.
“We would assist any member of the public who came forward with information.”
Anyone with information should call Harwich Police on 101.
The Facebook group can be found at facebook.com/ VFCPDovercourt
