A FAMILY have been left devastated after their pet cat was poisoned with antifreeze.

Heartbroken Louise Harper and her 12-year-old daughter Gaby of Ream Meadow, Tattenhall have been ‘totally distraught’ since four-year-old Jakey died after suffering kidney failure after eating cat food laced with antifreeze while outside for the night on August 9.

Louise said it is the second act of cruelty in just two months as Jakey’s brother – owned by Louise’s friend – died in identical circumstances outside his home in nearby Tattenhall Road.

“We’ve been totally distraught, I have been constantly in tears since it happened,” said Louise.

“The morning we discovered Jakey had been poisoned was Gaby’s 12th birthday.

“Usually he’s always jumping up to come in but when I saw him collapse after trying to jump, I rushed to pick him up but he was so weak and disorientated I just burst into tears.

“My first thought was that he’d been hit by a car but when we took him straight to the vets and they said he had no scratch marks. I knew straight away he’d been poisoned.”

Louise, 40, added: “It was horrendous. There were high levels of poison in Jakey’s blood, his kidneys had swelled up and his brain wasn’t functioning properly.

“The vets were fantastic and did so much to help Jakey but he was in such terrible pain it would have been cruel to let him suffer so we had to let him go.”

Louise, an administrative worker at Christleton High School where her daughter attends, said she is now ‘too afraid’ of letting her other cat out at night.

Inspector Phil Hodgson said: “These are particularly distressing incidents involving family pets and we would consider them to be serious criminal acts and should the offenders come to light, they will be prosecuted.”

Diane Roberts, from the RSPCA, added: “The RSPCA is dealing with more and more cases of cats suffering with antifreeze poisoning every year.

“Under the Animal Welfare Act, those found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering face a £20,000 fine and/or six months in prison.”

If you have any information on the incident call Cheshire Police on 0845 458 6377.