Pet owners are being warned after three cats belonging to the same woman were poisoned over five months.

Karen Bain said her one-year-old cat Jackson came home seriously ill in March this year. He died a short time later as she was taking him to a vet.

In July, Ms Bain's other pets, Alfie and Jeffrey, were found dead on the street across from her house in Newmilns, East Ayrshire.

Post-mortem examinations revealed all three cats had a poisonous substance in their bodies when they died and their deaths are being investigated by the Scottish SPCA.

The animal welfare charity is looking into the possibility that the poisonings were "deliberate and malicious", and has warned pet owners to be aware.

The substance used to kill the cats could also be fatal if digested by humans, it said.

Ms Bain said: "I've always had cats and over the past four to five years some have gone missing and never returned, so I think it's possible they've also been poisoned. These deaths have left me absolutely devastated and it is very frightening to think that someone close by could be responsible for this."

Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn of the Scottish SPCA said the cats would have suffered a painful death. "These incidents are deeply concerning and very distressing for the owner," he said.

Anyone with information is asked contact the charity's animal helpline on 03000 999 999.