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Cat owners suspect poison is killing pets at estate

BBC Tanya Clifton on her bed in her bedroom, playing with a black and brown cat. There are various personal items on the shelves around the bed. She is looking down as she plays with the cat.BBC
Tanya Clifton said the family had paid more than £1,000 towards vet bills after two of her cats died

Residents of a housing estate where several cats have died after falling sick in the past month believe the animals have been poisoned.

Tanya Clifton, who lives on the Alder View estate in Harwell, Oxfordshire, has lost Gingie and Kitty and thinks someone may be "maliciously" trying to hurt the animals.

She said eight cats have died in total on the estate and several others had fallen ill.

Larkmead Vets in Didcot, where Ms Clifton's cats were taken, declined to comment and Thames Valley Police (TVP) and the RSPCA said they were investigating.

Tanya Clifton Gingie, the first cat that Ms Clifton lost. It is an orange cat and in the picture, it is lying on a bed.Tanya Clifton
Gingie, male, died at the vets on 9 November and has left "a big gap" in the family

Ms Clifton used to have 12 cats but on 8 November, Gingie came home "really sick" and she took him to the vets.

"At the same time, there was a lady, Jane, who had brought another cat in, displaying the same symptoms.

"The vet said that both had been poisoned and unfortunately by the morning, both cats had passed away."

Ms Clifton's neighbour, Jane Stoackley, said the cat she brought in did not belong to her but she also knew of another one that had passed away recently.

Meanwhile Ms Clifton told BBC Radio Oxford "a few other cats around the area had been rushed in and died" and two others were found in the bushes.

Tanya Clifton Kitty lying on a bed with his paws covering his head. He is a black and white cat.Tanya Clifton
Kitty, the second male cat that died, was described as "very timid"

Ms Clifton said she thinks someone may be "maliciously trying to hurt cats".

"We've had so much rain and snow and you'd think if it was something accidental, it would have been washed away by now," she said.

"Speaking to the vets, with the numbers that we've got now of poorly or passed away cats around here, they said that they suspect foul play could be involved.

"It's either malicious or someone's using something that they are completely unaware is poisonous to wildlife and cats."

Tanya Clifton A collage of two pictures - on the left, the black cat called Bubbie is seen cuddled up to one of Ms Clifton's children, on the left, Trousers the tabby is lying on a bed with grey sheets.Tanya Clifton
Bubbie (left) is "slowly improving" at the vets while Trousers (right) has been missing since Sunday night

Ms Clifton described Gingie as "really playful and sweet", and Kitty, the second cat she lost, as "very timid".

Another one of her male cats, Bubbie, has been receiving treatment after falling ill on Friday and is "slowly improving". A fourth is currently missing.

Ms Clifton said she had already paid more than £1,000 in vet bills for the first two cats and she has had to cancel their pet insurance.

"I felt their pet insurance wasn't as important as feeding the kids."

She said she had to explain to her children that "Christmas might not be the same this year", as all of the family savings had been used.

An areal footage of the Alder View in Harwell on a cloudy day
The cats have been dying or getting very sick on the Alder View estate in Harwell

TVP said it had received reports of "anti-social behaviour on White Hart Way" at about 14:54 GMT on 15 November.

"Officers are investigating the incident," a statement added.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: "Thankfully, deliberate poisoning of animals is rare.

"Our hearts go out to anyone who suspects their pet has been poisoned.

"We are aware of concerns in this area and we are looking into this further."

Tanya Clifton A group of cats of different colours cuddled together in a roomTanya Clifton
Ms Clifton had 12 cats in total, which she she refers to as her "fur babies"

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