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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- The cats that quietly roam near Alta and Rancho are known as friendly felines to residents like Glenda Callan-Lackey.

"They are just innocent little creatures and they are just so appreciative and lovable you know," Callan-Lackey said.

But these cats are in danger. Callan-Lackey and other neighbors suspect someone is poisoning cats with antifreeze.

"You can't imagine how much they suffer," Callan-Lackey said through tears.

Neighbors counted at least a dozen dead cats including Callan-Lackey's rescue Sylvester -- a black and white cat she raised as a baby and watched die.

"They cough up blood and they just shimmer," Callan-Lackey said.

Veterinarian Linda Steelman said Sylvester's test for antifreeze came up positive. 

"The antifreeze tests are cheap and easy to use so a lot of vets will try to identify the problem right up front," Steelman said.

A little antifreeze causes a cat's kidneys to shut down. It's a cruel way to kill an animal. 

"This is the first time I've seen an actual case of a group poisoning of feral cats in a neighborhood," Steelman said.

Neighbors are taking action, going door to door and putting fliers on cars warning of a possible cat killer.

"This is the flier that we are handing out," said Stacia Newman, Nevada Political Action for Animals. "It gives a phone number and lets people know what they can do and what the charges are. It's a felony for this type of malicious and intentional poisoning of the animals."
 
Neighbors said the cats are abandoned because of foreclosures, but they've been working to curb the population humanely.

"It actually got to a point where there was a lot of kittens running around but, we went ahead and caught them all, got them fixed and now they're just hanging out," Corey Callan-Lackey said.

"If someone doesn't like them, that's their prerogative, but to do this to the cat is so horrible," Glenda Callan-Lackey said.