A community is reeling in shock after a pet hater poisoned 10 cats.
Now they are on the hunt for the evil killer.
The Daily Voice is in possession of a video clip taken of the stray cats as they lay dying on Sunday morning.
In the chilling footage, the kitties can be seen lying in pools of their own mucus and saliva in Ontario Court in Hanover Park.
Their bodies go into violent spasms and they can be heard choking and gasping for air.
The video moves from backyard to backyard, each time focusing on a different, suffering feline.
The shocking discovery has left animal lover Mukhtar Lee heartbroken and upset.
“The person who killed these cats has no heart,” he says.
“How do you just take their lives with no conscience?
“Do they have no shame?” the wheelchair-bound Hanover Park resident asks.
“To kill so many cats means that he or she can also kill humans.”
Now the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) say they will be investigating the mass killing.
SPCA spokesperson Lameez Martin says the incident is very concerning to their organisation.
“It is an offence in terms of the Animals Protection Act to poison any animals,” she tells the Daily Voice.
“We will investigate the matter and appeal to members of the public to come forward with any relevant information.”
Concerned community member, Shafiek Gamiet, first contacted the Daily Voice about the cats.
“The cats knew that when they heard anyone call ‘kitty’, that it was time to eat,” he says of the friendly stray cats who inhabit Ontario Court.
“So I think they were tricked into eating poisoned food.
“We can’t point fingers but that person should be heavily punished, not that I curse them but I want them to suffer the way the cats did.”
The community is now trying to care for four two-month-old kittens that have been left orphaned after the deaths of their parents.
Meanwhile, Mukhtar’s grand- mother Rokea Majiet, 73, says the cruel act reminds her of a time when her home used to be filled with about 50 cats that roamed the court freely.
“Back then everyone was fine with my cats and no one tried to hurt them, no one even bothered with them,” she recalls.
The loss of the cats has left a hole in Shafiek’s daily routine.
“When I wake up every morning [for morning prayers], I check on the cats and if they have food,” says Shafiek.
“Now it’s heartbreaking to wake up to an empty yard without them.”
n If anyone has information about the incident please contact the Cape of Good Hope SPCA on 021 700 4158/59 or after hours on 083 326 1604. - Daily Voice