Drivers are being begged to slow down on a busy road where a number of cats have been killed - including eight owned by the same woman.

The devastated animal lover lost her beloved pets on the stretch of Tyler Hill Road that runs between Blean and Tyler Hill, just outside Canterbury.

The string of deaths has prompted another resident, Samantha Paterson, to pen a "heartfelt plea" to people driving along the road, urging them to take care.

"Please slow down and please be very aware," she wrote on the Canterbury Residents Group Facebook page yesterday.

"My friend has just lost her fourth cat today and a lady on the corner of St John’s Cresent has lost eight cats.

"A few days ago, another friend found an injured cat on the same road and again, it had just been left there.

"It was taken to the vets but sadly died."

Ms Paterson says she is also fed up with seeing motorists speeding along nearby Hackington Road.

"These are residential areas with children, pets and other hazards," she wrote.

"I am well aware that sometimes cats can just run out and it’s unavoidable, but the speeds people drive down there are ridiculous.

"Times are currently hard enough, without more unnecessary sadness."

Some social media users were quick to criticise cat owners for introducing more felines to the area, if the road poses a danger.

But one cat owner, who says she was "devastated" to lose a fourth cat on the road, hit back at the criticism saying: "It is not an unsafe environment for people that drive normally and vigilantly, it’s a quiet village.

"I loved that cat and there is no reason why the cats round here should be run over if people drove sensibly."

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.

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