The pets of a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal who was hospitalized following a nerve agent attack, have died. Skripal’s two guinea pigs and his cat were found dead inside his home a while after the attack on them last month on March 4. The cat actually had to be euthanized since it was ‘distressed’ as said by CNN. The pets were found by the team after the property was sealed off for more clues from the home.

The tensions between UK and Russia have been high after this particular attack on Sergei and his daughter Yulia. Both of them were hospitalized after were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury. The two were poisoned with a Russian-made nerve agent, Novichok. Sergei is recovering well and out of danger but the pets have not been the lucky ones. The house was sealed by the police and the pets were dead, dehydration is suggested as the main cause. “When a vet was able to access the property, two guinea pigs had sadly died. A cat was also found in a distressed state and a decision was taken by a veterinary surgeon to euthanize the animal to alleviate its suffering,” said the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement to CNN.

Apparently, there was also a second cat which is still missing as claimed by the Russian embassy in London. Although Russia has denied its involvement in this attack the country’s embassy did express concern about the pets. They asked if the pets were also poisoned and how were they treated!

Check Russian Embassy's tweet: 

A spokesperson from the embassy also said that the pets could have clues about the culprit behind the attack. Critics have clearly called it a misdirection offered by the country. Currently, both Sergei and his daughter are recovering healthy. Sergei is in fact, recovering rapidly and the daughter is responsive. But the sadness continues for them as their pets haven’t survived.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 07, 2018 05:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).