The owner of a third cat killed by antifreeze poisoning in a small Pembrokeshire village has spoken of her grief and suspicions.

Margaret Cheshire and her wife Angie said that five cats from their home have been fatally poisoned by antifreeze in the last ten years.

The most recent victim was beautiful ginger tabby cat Snuggles who died in mid-November.

(Image: Margaret Cheshire) This death came at around the same time as those of neighbouring cats Will and Connie, whose deaths were also confirmed to have been caused by antifreeze.

The RSPCA is investigating the deaths and the police have been informed.

RSPCA inspector Keith Hogben said that deliberate poisonings of this kind were "very rare", and Margaret is convinced that the cats are being targeted.

“This cannot be an accident,” she said. “This is some vile person putting this antifreeze down for poor cats and dogs to drink. In the last ten years I've lost five cats to antifreeze poisoning, so this is not an accident.”

Margaret said that watching Snuggles suffer was a traumatic experience.

“It is horrible watching a cat going through that. They are a part of your family. It is like a bereavement in the family.”

She said that people were now too scared to let their cats out in the village because of the poisonings.

“We’ve got one cat left now. We can’t let her out. It’s cruel to keep a cat locked in but we are afraid to let her out,” she said.

(Image: Margaret Cheshire)

“There are no cats on the road, everybody is afraid to let them out.”

She said that there were other people in the village who had lost dogs and cats this way.

“In this day and age, why kill innocent animals?” she asked. “Someone is doing it deliberately.”

Dyfed-Powys Police said that at the moment, it was not clear whether the antifreeze had been put down deliberately but that officers had visited Trefin.

“Police received a report on November 14”, a police spokesperson said.

“At this time it is unclear whether the substance was consumed accidentally or not.

“Officers have attended with the owners to provide advice and reassurance.”

The RSPCA has advised anyone fearing their cat may have been poisoned to try and remain calm, move the cat away from the source and contact a vet straight away.

Signs of poisoning can be seen anything from 30 minutes after an animal has ingested the chemical, though it can be two or three days before signs of kidney failure are seen.

Symptoms can include vomiting, seeming depressed or sleepy, appearing drunk and uncoordinated, seizures and difficulty breathing.

Anyone with information about the incidents can contact the RSPCA anonymously on 0300 1234 999 and quote number 01391132.