THE RSPCA has condemned the callous poisoning of pets after three cats and one dog were left to suffer a long and agonising death.

Inspector Gavin Butterfield warned he would press for the maximum penalty of a £5,000 fine or six months in prison should the culprit be caught.

The incidents in Bishop Auckland follow similar cases where eight cats had been either poisoned or disappeared mysteriously, in Evenwood.

Mr Butterfield said: "There has been an alarming number of cases where pets have been poisoned in recent weeks, and I have no idea why.

"It is a cowardly way to get rid of what people might see as a problem or threat to their livestock.''

He was speaking after 26-year-old Emma Giles took her two pet cats to Kensington Veterinary Surgery in Bishop Auckland after they had been poisoned with anti-freeze.

Miss Giles, from Tivoli Place, Cockton Hill, said she has been left devastated and her remaining cat, Casper, is pining for his playmates.

She said she regularly let her cats, Marti, Oscar, and Casper, out in the afternoon, but when they failed to come home before she went to work on Thursday evening she had to leave them.

She said: "They came back on Friday morning and they seemed fine, so I went to bed. But when I woke up, Marti and Oscar couldn't walk, they were falling over all the time.''

Miss Giles took the cats to the vets, where they were put on drips, but when their condition deteriorated she was told they had been poisoned with anti-freeze.

She said: "One died and the other was put down. "I think this is an evil and cruel thing to do because they really must have suffered.

She added: "Casper is never going out again. I am not going to lose him as well.''

Mr Butterfield has appealed for anyone with information to contact the RSPCA on 08705 555999.