To lose a beloved pet is devastating, to lose one in a completely preventable way is soul destroying.

Rolo was killed by Ethylene Glycol an ingredient in antifreeze. She was just over 1 years old.

Born on the streets of the West Midlands and bought into rescue at 4 months old.

Rolo did not trust humans and ran away from any type of contact. Working for the rescue I fell in love with her and decided to take her home as a foster cat to let her adapt in her own time to being around humans and learning to trust us.

She quickly became best friends with my other kitten and they became playmates. He helped her learn to play and that humans were not all bad.

A vet trip informed me that before being rescued Rolo had suffered a trauma from possibly a car or even worse a human that had broken her back leg which had healed on its own.

It broke my heart thinking of the pain she must have been in when this happened.

Christmas eve came and the decision was made, Rolo had found her forever home. It was official she was mine.

Rolo was a joy to watch as she explored her new home, made friends with my 4 other cats and very slowly started to let me get close to her.

I was so excited when she sat next to me one Sunday morning at the beginning of May, and let me very gently stroke her paw. I shared the news with everyone. Little did I know just 8 days later I would be saying goodbye.

It was a Sunday, I had spent the day at the rescue, I came home to vomit everywhere, I found her lethargic and listless. I rushed her to the emergency vets. They did everything they could but come Monday night her blood had turned toxic and I had to stop her suffering. I finally got my cuddles with her as I said goodbye.

In the UK antifreeze should have a bitterant added to stop cats being attracted to the sweet smell, this helps to stop cats drinking the antifreeze but this does not stop it being absorbed into the bodies through their skin. So even just walking through it can kill them.

For cat’s ethylene glycol is for the majority fatal, kidney failure occurs within 12-24 hours of ingestion. Just 1-2 teaspoons are fatal to cats and only 3-4 teaspoons in dogs.

It is responsible for killing thousands of animals each year. (And also, for killing several humans a year)

There is a solution, ban the use of Ethylene Glycol and replace it with Propylene Glycol, just as affective but without the same toxicity to both animals and humans.

It won’t bring Rolo back but it will stop another animal having to go through what she did.