FOUR pet cats have been killed and two more are missing from their York homes after a suspected case of poisoning in their community.

All the cats lived with families in the Towthorpe Road and nearby West Nooks area of Haxby and the incidents all took place within six weeks.

York RSPCA inspector Justin Le Masurier said the cases were "very suspicious" and said that all the evidence, including the suspicious death of a fox, pointed to the negligent or malicious use of a toxic substance.

Allan Watkinson, whose five-year-old cat was one of those killed, said he was devastated by the deaths, but was now keen to get another pet.

He said: "I wonder how many other people have been affected. It's devastating to a family when this happens.

"We are getting over it now but for the first four or five days we were in tears every night.

"People who don't have animals don't realise how close you get to them. It's bad enough when you have to have them put down or you lose them in an accident. But these cats were in their prime and we had them snatched from us."

The first cat was found dead in a garden in Towthorpe Road on September 3. Another cat belonging to the same family went missing on October 8 and has not yet been found. A cat is still missing after disappearing on October 2.

Two cats were found dead on October 9 in adjacent gardens in Towthorpe Road and another was found wandering around Towthorpe Road on October 10. It later died and poisoning was confirmed by a vet.

Mr Le Masurier was called in to investigate in mid-October and carried out land searches nearby. He said: "It strikes us as very suspicious.

"We have investigated, but we have not found any sources of the poisoning.

"Either somebody has a substance that is potentially lethal for cats that they are not taking care of, or they are being malicious - we are not sure at this stage.

"Either way what is evident is that cats have suffered and died needlessly."

Mr Le Masurier said anyone found being careless or malicious with a toxic substance could face a penalty of a £5,000 fine or a six month prison sentence. Anyone with information should phone him on 08705 555999.

Updated: 08:28 Wednesday, November 05, 2003