Pet-owners in east Hull are being warned about the dangers of antifreeze after two family cats were poisoned.
A family living in Mallard Road, Bilton Grange, are worried that someone on their street may be deliberately poisoning their pets after two of their cats died from ingesting antifreeze.
The father, who did not wish to be named, said it has been an upsetting experience.
"A year ago we had a cat who became very ill suddenly," he said.
"When we took her to the vet she had some blood tests and it showed she had a very high level of toxins in her blood.
"The vet suspected she had been poisoned with antifreeze because she had complete kidney failure and died shortly after.
"We didn't think too much of it until the exact same thing happened to our other cat last week."
The family suspect that a neighbour who lives on the street may be responsible.
The father said: "A similar thing had happened with my mum's cat – she only lives across the road so it's definitely a problem in this area, or maybe just this street.
"At this time of year you don't just get antifreeze lying around.
"It seems like too much of a coincidence to be an accident."
The man said his young daughter is distraught about what is happening.
He said: "When we found out our second cat had become ill this week, I realised straight away it had happened again – the symptoms were exactly the same.
"Our daughter is only eight years old. She is really upset and confused about why anyone would want to hurt our animals.
"We had our first cat from when she was eight weeks old, so she had grown up with my daughter."
The family want to warn other pet owners in the area to watch out for similar signs with their cats.
"I've spoken with a few of our neighbours about it and they are completely shocked that anyone would do this," said the father.
"We have another cat and a dog and we're just really worried that the same thing might happen to them.
"I can understand that perhaps maybe some people on the street don't like animals if they get into their gardens, but we always look after our pets and we have a right to keep animals if want to.
"We need to warn all pet owners that this is happening and we need to stop it."
The family have contacted the RSPCA to report what has happened to their pets.
The RSPCA advise poisoning cats can be classed as a criminal offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
The maximum penalty for anyone found guilty of an offence of animal cruelty is up to six months' imprisonment or a £20,000 fine.
A spokesman for the RSPCA in Hull said: "When we see cases like this what we advise people to do is contact the national helpline to report the incident to our local inspection team who will investigate."
Call 0300 1234999 or 01482 232225 with any reports.
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