Cats killed in suspected poisonings

Police have launched an investigation after at least four cats died in suspected poisonings in the same area of a Worcestershire town.

The cats died in similar circumstances on or around Ramsons Close in Malvern in recent weeks.

Residents described how they had taken their pets to the vet after they suddenly fell ill, but the animals had to be euthanised due to organ failure.

West Mercia Police has appealed for more information.

Lucy Symmonds, who lives on Ramsons Close, said her kitten Douglas was "literally like my child."

The mum-of-two said his death had left her "absolutely heartbroken."

Ms Symmonds said she she had noticed her kitten was not well so had taken him to vets, where blood tests discovered "he'd been poisoned."

She described how she collected her children from school so "they could say goodbye" to their pet.

"He was put to sleep in my arms. He was so poorly he fell asleep in my actual arms before he was even put to sleep."

Ms Symmonds said the kitten's death had left her "absolutely heartbroken"

Tabitha Webb told BBC Hereford and Worcester her six-year-old cat Luna died in similar circumstances on the same road.

"We had a really horrible incident when a neighbour bought our cat over to us, he found our cat in his garden. Very lifeless."

"The signs that my cat had were kidney failure, she was neurologically basically gone, it was very horrible."

She said the incident had "completely destroyed" her 18-year-old daughter, who had looked after the cat since she was a kitten.

"I could never buy a cat on this street, I feel like it would be a death sentence," she added.

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said they had received a report that "a number of cats had died in the area, following suspected poisonings".