PET owners are being warned to be on their guard after a man claimed his cat almost died from eating poisoned meat.

Steven Small had to take much-loved moggy Moussa to a vet after he suddenly became seriously ill.

The Elderslie man believes his pet scoffed poisoned meat that had been tied onto string and left in the street – possibly to ward off foxes.
Steven, 47, said: “Moussa started being sick and I then found him lifeless on his bed.

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“When I checked his vomit, there were bits of string in it. Then I took a walk on the path behind Park Avenue and spotted more of the string on a fence there.

“I don’t know if it was someone trying to ward off foxes but it is worrying, as there are a lot of cats around here.

“The vet told me Moussa was close to death and it was only because of how much he’d been sick that he survived.

The Gazette:

Steven is warning other owners to be careful 

“I think everyone needs to be vigilant of anything suspicious, especially if they see bits of meat attached to string.

“This has caused me much heartache and a hefty bill from the vet.”

The string Steven found was attached to a fence on a path between Park Avenue and Houston Place – an area where cats are regularly seen.

He said vets suspected meat had been attached to the string based on the fact it was clearly darkened at one end.

However, without doing extensive toxin tests, vets are unable to prove Moussa was poisoned.

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Steven added: “I was really relieved to see Moussa getting better again.

“He eventually started eating again and getting back to being his cheeky wee self.”

To find out more about how you can protect pets from poisons or toxins, visit www.petpoisonhelpline.com.