A HEARTLESS cat “killer”is back on the prowl in Bewdley, it is feared, after devastated pet owners found their cherished felines dying from poisoning – just hours apart.

Annette Wilkinson and her niece, Sandie Woodhouse, looked on in horror as their beloved pets suffered the “vile" effects of anti-freeze poisoning within a day of each other .

The horrified relatives, who have now lost five cats between them to the substance in the past three years, live just yards apart in the riverside town and have both been left “heartbroken”after the latest attack.

Miss Woodhouse’ s cat Daisy, aged one, whose brother, Jerry, also died after drinking the liquid six months ago, was the first to suffer the painful fate on Wednesday last week. She had to be put down by vets .

“Someone’s doing it,” said Miss Woodhouse , of Severn Way. “It’s cruelty to animals. They don’t have to watch it. It’s vile .

“I found Daisy at about 9am. She came into the house and she was stumbling. I came back to her about three hours later and she was worse .

“I was holding her. I was with her the whole time. She was rolling around and having spasms. It was awful.

"I’m devastated and angry because it’s the second time it’s happened to me .”

Miss Woodhouse had to relive the nightmare when Mrs Wilkinson’s cat, Dotty, three, was found slumped behind a chair in the back garden the following morning after ingesting the liquid.

The duo are now determined to catch the culprit and have called police .

They will also be dropping leaflets through doors to raise awareness of the effects of anti-freeze poisoning.

Mrs Wilkinson, of Cherry Close, who has lost two other cats to poisoning, said: “It needs to be highlighted that there’s a cat killer. Within the space of a day we’ve had two dead cats .”

She added: “I opened my back door and there [Dotty] was curled up behind a chair. Five minutes later and she was gone .

“It's horrible. Somebody is doing it maliciously .”

Many animals find the taste of anti-free ze attractive, and ingesting even the smallest amount can lead to kidney failure and death.