MP for Tiverton and Honiton launched a cats protection campaign in the same week animal welfare officers and police kickstarted an investigation into a string of incidents where cats were apparently poisoned by milk laced with antifreeze.
A number of pet owners have reported how their beloved cats had died after drinking poisoned milk.
Any abuse of animals can also raise fears that people are at risk, as research shows that attacks on animals can lead to an animal abuser targeting humans.
Fears that there is a cat killer at large emerged in the week that Parliament hosted an event to launch the first ever 'Manifesto for Cats' spearheaded by the charity Cats Protection and backed by Tiverton MP Neil Parish.
The 10-point plan calls for a crackdown on irresponsible breeding and sale of cats, the outlawing of snares, and the inclusion of animal welfare education in the national curriculum in schools to enshrine a greater sense of care for cats in future generations.
Pet owners whose animals have fallen victim to the suspected poisonings are now urging other owners to keep a closer eye on their cats until they can be sure their animals are safe from the threat.
The suspected poisonings took place in the Beacon village area of Camborne in Cornwall where there have been a string of cat deaths – with at least one cat having to be put down by a vet after it was suspected of falling ill after drinking antifreeze-laced milk.
Betty and Ernie Rowe, who live on Tolcarne Road, Beacon, Camborne, lost five-year-old cat Perry and are convinced their beloved pet was poisoned.
They are warning others to be on their guard.
Mr Rowe said: "We are sure that Perry was poisoned and suspect that he drank milk laced with antifreeze that had been left out deliberately. Three cats have now died in similar circumstances and the situation is getting serious.
"Perry never went out much and on the day he died, we had gone to Newquay and when we arrived home we fed him and let him out.
"He was only out for half an hour and when he came back in he was bringing up milky sick and was clearly in a lot of discomfort.
"We rushed him to the vets but unfortunately it was too late and we want to tell anybody who owns a cat to be particularly careful to prevent any further deaths."
Amy Vollbracht, another pet owner in Tolcarne Road, was left devastated when her young cats died between February 6 and 8.
Ms Vollbracht has now lost three cats in eight months after another of her pets was poisoned last year.
She said: "On the same weekend Bladey and Guinness both came in and had trouble walking and it is absolutely devastating that this has happened.
"Bladey was 18 months old and Guinness 10 months and it is clear that someone around here has it in for cats and is doing this deliberately."
Vets told Ms Vollbracht that both her pets had died as a result of acute kidney failure and she is now left with just one cat which she keeps inside because she is too scared to let the pet out.
Animal welfare officers have taken up the investigation to find who is behind the poisonings.
An RSPCA spokesman said: "The RSPCA received a call on February 9 to report an alleged antifreeze poisoning in Beacon. A local vet confirmed that a cat taken to them had been put to sleep on suspicion of antifreeze poisoning.
"The RSPCA is deeply concerned about and extremely saddened by any spate of suspected antifreeze poisonings of cats.
"If you suspect that your cat has been poisoned you must take it to a vet immediately. If possible, you should take a sample of what the cat has eaten or drunk, or the container.
"However, if anyone has any evidence to support allegations that someone is deliberately poisoning these well-loved pets then I would urge them to contact the RSPCA's national cruelty line on 0300 1234 999."
Officers from Devon and Cornwall Police are also looking into the cat deaths and are urging anyone with any information that might bring to light what is behind the incidents to contact them by calling the non-emergency number 101 and quoting police reference CR/009879/15.
Even more worryingly, MPs in Parliament were told, during the launch of the Cats Manifesto event on Tuesday, that abuse of animals can lead to human abuse, meaning if there is a cat killer at large, they could pose a risk to people also.
Cats Protection showed MPs, journalists and others at the event a tear-jerking "party political broadcast" before highlighting the fact that people at the reception were most shocked when they asked about the demand for tighter controls on air guns, which are largely unregulated.
"We get reports of on average five cats a week being shot by air guns," Peter Hepburn, the charity's chief executive, told the Western Morning News, adding that cats are blinded or worse. "And there is a lot of research showing that abuse of animals can lead to human abuse."
MrParish, Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton, also chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, hosted the launch. He told how the dog lobby sometimes appeared to have a louder voice (or bark) than the cat groups.
"We sometimes in this world talk a lot about dogs. Sometimes cats get left out," he told the reception. "Today we are putting them on the agenda."
Mr Parish, who said his cat, Charlie, was tougher than most having grown up with two Labradors on a farm in Somerset, underlined how the two species behave differently.
"Dogs have owners; cats have staff," he said.
Heather McCann, Cats Protection chairman, whose cat is called Ruby Tuesday, told the reception how the charity helps more than 190,000 cats a year, whether they have been abandoned, harmed or neglected.
"Which is an amazing 500 cats a day," she said. "This is a manifesto for cats, but actually it's also a manifesto for people. Cats enrich many of our lives with love and affection, and they are great companions. But they also need protection."
Cats Protection, which has a network of more than 250 volunteer-run branches and 31 adoption centres, re-homes unwanted and abandoned cats, promotes neutering, provides cat care advice, and delivers talks about cat care to thousands of schoolchildren and community groups every year.
![Tiverton and Honiton MP's cats protection campaign coincides with police investigation into suspected of poisoning a string of pets – with milk laced with antifreeze]( "Tiverton and Honiton MP's cats protection campaign coincides with police investigation into suspected of poisoning a string of pets – with milk laced with antifreeze")
