Dolores Doyle laments over an empty cat basket following the loss of her pets. Pic by Christy Farrell.

A distressed resident of Sean O’Byrne Park in Gorey has expressed concern over pets being poisoned in her neighbourhood and in the adjacent estates of Hillview, Hillcrest and Eire St.

Dolores Doyle, who is a confessed cat lover, explained how “I was crying for two days,” after her last cat died a couple of weeks ago.

A serious problem has arisen in the laneways around this area of Gorey where poison has been laid and a number of cats have been killed recently.

“A few used to be killed on and off, but the problem is getting worse. I have lost four cats in the last couple of months,” said Ms Doyle.

She explained how she has had seven or eight cats poisoned and she has none now.

Dolores described harrowing scenes as her last cat lost its battle for life.

“The vet told me it suffered a horrible death. We noticed something wrong with the cat, it was frothing out of the mouth, it was terribly upsetting and it couldn’t be saved. It died in agony.”

Ms Doyle has strong support from her fellow residents who are concerned about feline threats, and they also have concerns about children playing in the laneways.

Residents are keen to have the problem highlighted and have launched an appeal “to those who are laying the poison to desist.”

Full story exclusively in The Gorey Echo this week.