RSPCA closes Swindon cat 'poisoning' deaths investigation

On August 11 last year, four cats from three households in Emerald Crescent, Abbey Farm, died and were thought to have been poisoned.

This triggered a joint investigation from Wiltshire Police and the RSPCA, and the cats were sent away for a full post-mortem to see if the substance that may have caused their deaths could be ascertained. 

But six months on the case has now been closed, with no evidence of the poisons. Cardiac arrest was listed as the cause of death for all of the cats, leaving the devastated owners none the wiser about what happened to their precious pets on that night. 

The proximity of the three households who lost beloved pets in the bizarre and unexplained spate of 'poisonings' in Swindon (Image: Chris Thompson) (Image: Chris Thompson)A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “We would like to thank the people who have supported the investigation into the death of these poor cats.

“Our inspector and the police had been investigating this for a number of weeks, but sadly due to a lack of evidence to explain the precise circumstances of this matter, we have been unable to proceed further at this stage.

"The results of the post mortems, which were carried out independently, did not show any signs of poisonings and the cause of death given by the scientific evidence was that the cats died of underlying heart conditions - no other causes were found.

“But if anyone has further first-hand evidence relating to the matter, we would urge them to contact the RSPCA number 0300 1234 999.

“Our thoughts are always with the families who lost their beloved pets.”

The first cat, Betty, who lived with her owner Kate Blackford, in Emerald Crescent, Abbey Farm, fell ill at 11.30pm on the night in question, and was rushed to a vets where she was put to sleep. 

But Kate's night didn't end there because after she got home at around 2am, she received a concerned message from neighbour Sarah Jane-Webb, asking her to come and look at her cat, Chase, because something was wrong with him. 

Chase was showing the same symptoms as Betty and urged Sarah-Jane, a veterinary receptionist, to take him to the vets immediately, but it was too late for him as well. 

Meanwhile, just doors away and unbeknownst to her that this was unfolding, Harri Thompson, had gone out to get in her laundry, inadvertently letting her cat Nala out. 

After waking up at 7am to messages about what had happened, she began looking for Nala and found her alive but in a bad way in her garden. After being taken to a vet, she was also put to sleep because of her condition. 

At the same time, doors away, Kate realised that her other cat Simba was missing, and after a quick search, she found him dead in her garden - making him the fourth cat overall to have died under mysterious circumstances. 

Kate Blackford and Betty, Harri Thompson and Nala and Sara-Jane Webb and Chase (Image: Kate Blackford, Harri Thompson and Sarah-Jane Webb) (Image: Kate Blackford, Harri Thompson and Sarah-Jane Webb)All three owners are convinced that their cats either got hold of, or were deliberately given, something that was harmful to them.

Sarah-Jane Webb said: "How can four different cats of all different ages and breeds die within hours of each other of the same thing without something causing it?

"I feel we haven't had answers. But there's nothing more I can do. Just have to move on from it now. However, what happened will always be a mystery."

Harri Thompson added: "I felt like the whole thing was pointless."

The owners had to wait half a year to be able to lay their pets to rest, with Harri only just getting her cat's ashes back last week.