Anger after meals laced with poison put down at Auckland cat colony feeding station

Cat care volunteers are furious after a person allegedly laced food containing rat poison and placed it where a colony of community and stray cats live. Photo / supplied

Cat care volunteers are furious after a person allegedly added rat poison to homemade human food and placed it where a colony of community and stray cats live.

Julie of the Community Cat Coalition Auckland visited the Flatbush Cat Colony Feeding Station Tuesday morning, where she is helping feed, catch, desex and care for homeless cats.

Looking down at the edge of the grass, she noticed a container of human food that had been left out overnight.

But when she took a closer look, she noticed that rat poison had been mixed with the food, an act she believes has eerie motives.

“A couple of nights ago I saw another creep that looked like it had poison. But definitely the stuff I picked up on Tuesday had rat poison strewn through it,” she told the Herald.

In photos of Julie, small blue pellets can be seen between the rice and the chicken, with the liquid at the bottom turning blue.

Julie found a container of food, allegedly spiked with rat poison, placed near the location where the Cat Coalition cares for stray cats in Flatbush. Photo / supplied

She told the Herald that the thought of someone trying to harm a cat is unfathomable.

“Why would anyone be so terrible and mean when trying to inflict a really slow, agonizing death on an animal?

“It makes me sick for all the work and effort we’ve put into catching, desexing, and stopping the breed, and the care we give to these vulnerable cats in need of homes.

“There are hundreds of cats. We’re flooded. To see this behavior, it’s sick. It’s someone from the area. They don’t understand that we are trying very hard to clean up the area. We cannot euthanize the cats.” ” You are healthy.”

Cat care volunteers are furious after a person allegedly laced food containing rat poison and placed it where a colony of community and stray cats live. Photo / supplied

Cat Coalition is a non-profit voluntary network of cat carers who provide valuable service to the stray cats in Auckland.

Julie and her colleagues take care of dumped, feral, and abused cats and kittens, providing food, desex, and general health care to cats in need.

The Community Cat Coalition is now recognized as the preeminent cat grooming collective in Auckland and has been caring for the Flatbush community cats for a number of years.

Julie says she is concerned that the hard work the Cat Coalition has put into cats could be undone by this rat poison fear.

She is also afraid that one of the cats will be put into the laced food.

“This person clears it out in the morning. We trapped there and it looks like it has been sitting there for a while.

“One of the cats was nibbling on the rice because I went to the water they were drinking from and there were rice particles in the water.

“There’s still a kitten we want to catch there. There’s a mother we had to bring back there while she was breastfeeding so she could have babies. It’s very worrying.

“There are lots of plastic containers with food lying around. The amount you put in may not be enough to kill, but the cats could get sick. But this time there was a lot of rat poison.”

The discovery has outraged the East Auckland community who are on the lookout for the cats. A number of people describe the incident as “gross” and “mean”.

The container has since been removed.

The place in Flatbush where the Cat Coalition helps feed, desex, and care for stray cats. Photo / supplied

In a statement to the Herald, the SPCA said they were aware of the incident and that it looks like rat bait has been added to the food.

Lori Davis, Auckland regulator team lead, says rat poison could seriously harm, and in some cases kill, cats.

“If not treated, rodenticide use can cause internal bleeding, liver failure, seizures, shortness of breath, heart attack, coma, and ultimately death.

“Rat poison is not only a welfare for the animals that are intended targets, but it can also be ingested by non-target animals, including pets, birds, or even children.

“SPCA rejects the current use of poisons to kill animals because of the level of pain and suffering caused. SPCA acknowledges that animal populations are sometimes necessary for a variety of reasons, including protecting biodiversity.

“In these cases management activities should only use targeted and effective methods and minimize negative impacts on animal welfare.”

According to Julie, the Cat Coalition works closely with the neighbors to keep cats safe. The volunteers provide the locals with cat biscuits to keep the strays healthy.

She is now organizing leaflets in the community in English and Chinese to warn locals not to ditch poison and unsuitable food for the cats.

Lonely Miaow, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and caring for stray and abandoned cats, is also helping with the Flatbush strays and is contacting the SPCA about the incident.

The research assistant of the SPCA, Dr. Alison Vaughan, warns that people could be prosecuted if they are caught deliberately mistreating an animal, such as dropping poison.

“It is a criminal offense under the Animal Welfare Act to deliberately mistreat an animal and mistreat an animal, causing unnecessary pain and suffering, or causing an animal to die.

“The problem is proving the elements of these crimes. Without evidence, our hands are tied.”

Those found guilty of deliberately mistreating an animal can face a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to $ 100,000.

The Cat Coalition relies on donations and goodwill to care for the community and stray cats in Auckland.

If you would like to donate to your cause, you can do so here.