Two residents have spoken about how their pet cats became seriously unwell, with fears the animals may have consumed rat poison. In one case – a much-loved white and tabby male affectionately called Pudding – died five days after his family noticed something was wrong.
His owner, who has asked not to be named, told HI HUB: “Puds came home the morning of Easter Sunday (5 April) with a cut to his ear. It wouldn’t stop bleeding on its own accord so I called the vets the following day and was told to apply pressure as it just needed to clot.
“We tried this several times, and still couldn’t get the wound to clot. I took him to the vets that Tuesday and they cleaned him up and gave us some anti-inflammatory medication and a cone to wear. I was told he needed to rest it and allow it to clot.
“We also kept him indoors, but it still continued to bleed. The cut was looking a bit better by Thursday but at that point Puds had stopped eating and hadn’t been going to the toilet, so we took him back to the vets.”
At this appointment, it was confirmed the cat’s ear wasn’t infected and he had no temperature. Blood tests were offered – but his owners declined as possible blood poisoning hadn’t been mentioned and Puds had gone to the toilet on the way to the vets.
It was also thought he was stressed from having to wear the cone and being stuck indoors – as he used to come and go as he pleased using a cat flap.
Pud’s family were advised to return to the vets the following day if there was no improvement – but very sadly he died during the night.
His owner said: “I really don’t feel as a family we could have done any more for him. Even if we had done the blood test at that last appointment, I think it would’ve been too late. He was just two years old, and we’d only had him for eight weeks. We miss him dearly.”
Awareness
Both residents are sharing their experiences with HI HUB to raise awareness among other cat owners, particularly residents in the Saffron Road area.
Gina Krämer, who lives in nearby New School Road, has been distributing leaflets warning her neighbours after it was suspected her cat Marlowe had consumed the poison. He is on the mend after receiving prompt treatment at an animal hospital, and is back home and reunited with his cat brother Neo.
Gina said: “On 15 April, I noticed specks of blood were coming from Marlowe and I wondered if it was something he had brought in from outside. The next morning, I noticed it was dripping from his nostrils and this developed into sneezing.
“I immediately drove him to the vet and was advised to get him to a vet hospital as a suspected case of poisoning. Marlowe was admitted for a few days where his treatment included a course of Vitamin K to control the blood clotting.”
She added: “I feel for those who have lost their pets – it’s incredibly sad and upsetting.”
In her leaflet, Gina warns her neighbours to look out for bleeding from their animals and respectfully asks them to not use rat poison.
Advice
Pets and wildlife can become ill after consuming rodents that already have the poison in their systems.
A spokesperson for South Cambridgeshire District Council said cases involving domestic pets are “considered a private veterinary matter rather than one for Environmental Health enforcement”.
“Pet owners that are concerned about possible poisoning should seek immediate advice from a qualified veterinary professional,” the Council spokesperson added.
Dr Sorcha Wicken, of Medivet Impington, said treatment depends on the type of poison involved and warned that some common household items can also be dangerous to pets. These include chocolate and grapes for dogs, and substances such as paracetamol and lilies for cats.
She added: “If you’re not sure, you are always welcome to call and check. This week alone we’ve had calls regarding plants, over the counter human medications and some foods. Not all of these pets required treatment but we’re always happy to hear from you.
“There is also the animal poison line on 01202 509000 (they do charge for this service) but it may be useful if you aren’t near your normal practice.”
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Dear Histon Hub,
Thank you for covering the recent cases of cats affected by rat poison in your article. Indeed, there have been 2 cases of cats dying from suspected poisoning on Saffron Road, and one of them was ours.
I’m surprised to see Medivet commenting because I took our cat there with suspected poisoning 9 days before he died.
Here is a link to the ‘Village Vet Cottenham’ who saved one of the poisoned cats: https://www.villagevet.co.uk/our-locations/cambridgeshire/cottenham?utm_id=22702889659&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22702889659&gbraid=0AAAAAC84v–Im8ZlZ6DvFICK3QxcZ8IfZ&gclid=CjwKCAjwwdbPBhBgEiwAxBRA4de-YWd0qQNNLGyFPd5PNTL6yRUCKDIAM-5nclI6e6jpgjMB6xRn5RoCeKMQAvD_BwE#vs-xc-branch
Kind Regards,
Camilla Hinde