Worried pet owners are keeping their animals indoors after at least five cats died, others went missing and a dog suffered suspected poisoning in a series of ‘mystery’ incidents.
Investigations have been launched by the RSPCA and council officials into what happened to the animals, suspected of coming to grief around a field earmarked for new housing.
Five cats’ bodies have been found but around half a dozen more are missing, while the dog has recovered.
Locals in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, believe the animals may have been harmed deliberately by a sadist.
Another theory is that the creatures may have become injured on the field on the eastern edge of the town – now fenced off for preliminary ‘ecological’ work before 169 new homes are built – or been in contact with contamination.
Pet owners (from left to right) Sue Ward, Nick Brooks, with his two-year-old Paternal dog Rocco, Charlan Hopkin and Joe Manning
Nick Brooks (left) said that his Patterdale terrier Rocco (pictured) suffered poisoning symptoms
Mr Manning and Ms Hopkin were sent a video taken by an ecologist walking the field who found their cat Jasper (pictured) moving his head but unable to walk
Nick Brooks, 53, a company director on a neighbouring business park, told how his Patterdale terrier Rocco suffered poisoning symptoms three months ago after being walked on the site by his office manager Sue Ward.
He said: ‘He went downhill really quickly, he was lying on the settee. I took him to the vets and they said he had symptoms of poisoning.’
Ms Ward said: ‘I’d only walked him up to the top of the field and back. Luckily, he’s absolutely fine now.’
Mr Brooks added: ‘I thought nothing of it then I heard about the cats. I thought hang on, this is in a similar time frame.’
In August, Jasper, a six-year-old Snow Lynx Bengal cat belonging to Joe Manning, 57, and his partner Charlan Hopkin, 50, who live the Bellamy Estate the other side of the development site, became poorly.
Mr Manning, an engineer, said: ‘We let him out on August 28 and he went onto the site. He came back and wasn’t well but he went out again on August 29 and we never saw him again.’
Earlier this month, Mr Manning and Ms Hopkin – who have two other cats – were sent a video taken by an ecologist walking the field who found Jasper moving his head but unable to walk. The man left to fetch a blanket to recover him but returned to find the cat had disappeared.
Mr Manning said: ‘We believe Jasper may have been taken by a fox – so we won’t ever find out what killed him. From how he looks in the video, he seems to have been poisoned.
Investigations have been launched by the RSPCA and council officials into what happened to the animals
One theory is that the pets may have become injured on the field on the eastern edge of the town
Mansfield Council said they have launched a ‘thorough investigation’ into the mysterious incidents
‘According to a Facebook group for the estate, there are up to 10 cats missing from around here – meaning you have 10 heartbroken families. Other owners are keeping their cats indoors.
‘We don’t know if someone is doing something deliberately or whether there’s something on the site.’
Neighbour Teresa Williams, a volunteer cat rescuer whose husband found one cat dead, told the BBC: ‘I’d noticed there’s been a few cats missing on the local [online] pages so we brought the cat back and checked its markings. When I picked it up, a leg came off; it was awful.
‘Another neighbour was looking for her cat after it went missing a few weeks before. She found it, but it was dead.’
Another resident Sarah Blackshaw, who has been track down the missing cats, said: ‘We’ve been traipsing around fields and we’ve found two dead ones.
‘One was on top of the bushes upside down believe it or not. It’s so weird, there’s that many cats turning up dead.’
Elissa Loates, 17, is keeping her pet Dotty, a 13-year-old domestic shorthair cat, inside as a precaution.
She said: ‘I don’t want to one day let her out and she just doesn’t come home.
The owners are keeping their animals indoors after at least five cats died, others went missing and a dog suffered suspected poisoning in a series of poisonings
Locals in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, believe the animals may have been harmed deliberately by a sadist
‘It feels really awful knowing what other people are going through. I don’t care how long we have to keep her inside, as long as she’s safe.’
Mansfield Council has launched a ‘thorough investigation’. Its spokesperson said: ‘Unfortunately, we don’t know the cause of the cats’ deaths, or the exact number involved, at this stage.
‘We would encourage anyone with information to come forward and report it to us.’
A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: ‘At this stage we do not know if these were accidental incidents or deliberate but in the meantime 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.
‘We are appealing to anyone who might have any information.
‘Pet-owners are asked to be vigilant and keep an eye on their cats’ wellbeing – if they are showing symptoms of poisoning, take them for veterinary treatment immediately.’
Housing developer Vistry Group, granted planning permission in 2022, said: ‘Some initial ecological works are currently being carried out on site and we can confirm that no chemicals are being used and no other work is taking place.’