FOUR Furness cats may have been deliberately poisoned, a leading animal welfare charity has warned.

Two cats, Smudge and Bruno, who were both owned by Dawn Milburn of Moorgarth, Swarthmoor were found dead five days apart in September.

And a third cat, thought to be a stray who was being fed by Dawn, has not been seen since the beginning of December.

“Smudge was found first, in my next door neighbour’s garden," Dawn said. "She was my 11-year-old son Joshua’s favourite cat and he had to have time of school he was so devastated.

“Vets confirmed she was poisoned. She had prawns in her stomach and we believe the prawns were laced with it."

Bruno, who only had three legs after being hit by a car, was brought home in a carrier bag after being found dead by another neighbour five days later.

“He was my older son’s favourite cat," Dawn said. "Again he was born with us and was coming up 12-years-old.”

The cats were both found to have a highly toxic substance called Bendiocarb in their system, which is used as an insecticide. It is believed they were deliberately poisoned.

The RSPCA also had a report of two cats dying as a result of poisoning less than a mile and a half away in November.

RSPCA inspector Malwina Gasiorek said: “I am extremely concerned about these incidents and want to hear from anyone with any specific information about them.

“I also want to remind people that deliberately poisoning cats causes extreme and unnecessary suffering for which there can be absolutely no excuse.

“It is illegal and carries a maximum sentence currently of six months in prison and/or an unlimited fine. Where we have the evidence to do so we will bring people who do so before a court.”

If you are concerned that your cat may have been poisoned the advice is to contact your vet immediately.

Signs that your pet could have been poisoned vary and can include any of the following: depression, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, breathing difficulties and bad breath, twitching or seizures. Different substances can affect them in different ways with some symptoms taking days to appear.

People should be careful when using substances to ensure that other animals are not affected and that substances are properly disposed of, rather than dumping them on a roadside or in a park.

For information on how to detect poisoning log onto www.rspca.org.uk/poisoning.