A VET has warned owners that they could be accidentally poisoning their pets.

Tony Regan, of A Regan & Colleagues veterinary clinic, on Bury Road, Bolton, said that over the past fortnight he had treated four cats suffering the after-affects of being dusted with flea powder meant for treating dogs.

There has been an outburst of fleas following the recent warm weather.

The cats had been taken to the surgery suffering from fits, shortly after being treated by their owners.

Mr Regan is now urging people to carefully read the labels on flea powders.

He said: "A treatment may be safe for use on dogs but it can be highly poisonous to cats because they have a different metabolism and susceptibility to poison. There is no specific antidote and we've seen cats die from this before.

"It is crucial that people read treatment bottles carefully before treating their cats."