Four cats on same Derbyshire street 'die after antifreeze poisoning'

Luke Wright's cat Harvey (left with his other cat Oscar) died after falling ill on 27 December

The RSPCA is warning families to keep an eye on their pets after four cats on one street died from suspected poisoning.

Residents on King Street in Alfreton, Derbyshire, have reported a series of cats dying after apparently ingesting antifreeze.

One cat seen dragging a dying kitten up a drive has also gone missing.

The charity said it is "very concerned" by the deaths and asked residents to secure pesticides and chemicals.

Patch (left) was carried back by its mother Poll (right), who has since gone missing

Luke Wright said on 23 December, his two-year-old cat Poll was found dragging her sick kitten Patch - who is owned by a neighbour - up the drive, and though it was taken to a vet shortly after it died from suspected antifreeze poisoning.

Poll went missing on Christmas Eve, while Mr Wright's other cat Harvey fell ill on 27 December and also died.

A neighbour then sent a letter on 5 January saying two of her pets had also died of suspected poisoning, so Mr Wright reported the cases to the RSPCA.

"For four cats to die in a similar way in the same street and for another to be missing is concerning," he said.

"It is too late for these cats, but we hope a warning may save other lives."

'Keep chemicals safe'

The RSPCA said signs a cat may have ingested antifreeze can include seizures, vomiting, seeming depressed or sleepy and appearing drunk or uncoordinated, and can be seen from 30 minutes after ingestion to two or three days later.

Inspector Rachel Leafe, who is investigating the cases, advised Alfreton residents to "keep an eye on their cats' wellbeing" and take them to a vet "if they are showing symptoms of poisoning".

"We are very concerned that four cats in the same area have apparently died from antifreeze poisoning and another cat is missing," she said.

"At this stage we do not know if these were accidental incidents or deliberate, but we would ask for everyone in the area to check where they keep their pesticides and chemicals including antifreeze and make sure it is secure and out of the way of cats."

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].