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Vets are encouraging islanders to check their water butts after a local cat drowned in an uncovered one.
Water butts are large containers often found in gardens and used to capture and store rainwater.
If left uncovered or only loosely covered, they can be dangerous for pets and small animals, like hedgehogs and mice, as they may become trapped.
New Era Veterinary Hospital warned yesterday: “Following the recent tragic death by drowning of a local cat in an uncovered water butt, we would like to use this opportunity to ask everyone to check their water butts are covered and encourage friends and relatives to do the same.
“This will prevent a similar tragedy happening again to local pets and wildlife.”
The Facebook post has since been shared more than 240 times.
Similar warnings have previously been issued by UK animal charities and rescue groups, with the most recent being in June when an Essex-based cat drowned while its owner was gardening in June.
The owner of the cat "always covered her water butt when not in use but when walking to the bottom of the garden to water her plants she saw the makeshift lid was on the floor," an animal rescue group told a local newspaper, adding: "What she found when looking inside was truly heartbreaking."
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