A DISTRAUGHT animal lover has set up a petition to change the ingredients in antifreeze after her cat was killed.

Paige Wicks, 21, of Francis Way in Silver End, wants to make it a legal requirement to add an ingredient to antifreeze to make it unpleasant to cats.

One product that already does this is called Bitrex. Halfords use this as standard in its own brand product as it makes liquids extremely unpalatable, which helps stop pets and children from swallowing it.

Miss Wicks, a sales assistant, had her black moggy called Salem since he was eight weeks old before he died in September after consuming antifreeze.

She said: "I lost my cat in September from antifreeze poisoning and I found another lady on Facebook who lost hers a week after.

"We made a group to start spreading the word on how horrible this was.

"I think my cat was the fourth one in Silver End to die from it. When I found him he was very dehydrated and acted almost like he was drunk.

"If you picked him up and put him back down he just flopped, he was limp.

"We rushed him to the vets he started to fit and was open mouth breathing. We had to put him to sleep.

"I was in such a panic mode because I heard something else had happened to another cat but you don't expect it to be yours."

Antifreeze poisoning can cause pain, suffering, distress and ultimately, death.

Signs of antifreeze poisoning can show 30 minutes after ingestion and it can be two or three days before signs of kidney failure are seen.

Intentionally poisoning cats is a criminal offence and the maximum penalty for anyone found guilty is up to six months imprisonment and/or a £20,000 fine.

Miss Wicks is not alone in her efforts to change the law. She said: "I set up the petition with two other women from elsewhere in the country, Yvonne Wilson and Michele Bromberg.

"We want people to realise what they are putting in their cars.

"There are ten million cat owners and we want people to know that it does kill animals, including dogs and wildlife.

"We want the government to make it law to put something in the antifreeze that acts as a deterrent."

Some of the most common, potentially severe cat poisons reported to the Veterinary Poisons Information Service are Paracetamol, lilies, ethylene glycol – the active ingredient in antifreeze, spot-on flea treatments for dogs, metaldehyde - found in slug pellets and decorating materials like paint.

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: "The RSPCA is always very concerned to hear about poisoning in pets, and would urge anyone with any information relating to poisoning to contact us on 0300 1234 999.

"We advise pet owners to keep an eye on their pets’ wellbeing, be aware of the signs of poisoning in pets and familiarise themselves with potentially poisonous substances."

Sign the petition here.