Warning to pet owners after Hartlepool cat dies from suspected antifreeze poisoning

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Hartlepool mother Makayla Lund said she knew something was wrong when usually “greedy” Blu-Jake wouldn’t touch his food and began suffering from severe sickness and diarrhoea.

Makayla said: "He was looking at me, but he couldn’t see me and he was wobbling over. His back legs kept going, it was awful. He kept shaking constantly.”

She said blood tests the following day confirmed Blu-Jake had been poisoned with antifreeze and his kidneys had swelled up.

Blu-Jake had to be put down earlier this month after a suspected antifreeze poisoning incident. Photo: Makayla Lund

The kitten was in so much pain that the vets advised he should be put down on March 17.

Makayla said: "I’m heartbroken, because he was my baby. He followed me up the school on the school run and he’d walk home with me.

"All the teachers got to know him. Everyone loved him.

“He was such a vocal cat and he was always jumping around and playing with the kids.”

Makayla Lund says the cat used to calm her seven-year-old son's anxiety. Photo: Makayla Lund

Makayla’s seven-year-old son, Kyle, has been particularly affected by Blu-Jake’s death.

Kyle sustained a brain injury after a 2016 car crash in which both he and his mother were seriously injured.

Makayla explained: "The cat was his comfort, it used to calm his anxiety and he is absolutely devastated. It was his best friend. He won’t talk to anybody and is constantly crying.”

She said a neighbouring cat was also put down in similar circumstances on March 15.

Animal welfare charity the RSPCA said: “We would ask everyone in the area to check where they keep their pesticides and chemicals and make sure they are secure and out of the way of cats.

"Making sure antifreeze lids are shut tightly or cleaning up any spillages may save an animal’s life.

“There are reports that cats are attracted to antifreeze because of its sweet taste, however, research has shown that unlike us, cats are unable to detect sweetness so it is unknown why they sometimes drink this toxic liquid.

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

Contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 if you have any information about this incident.