18 February 2024 , 09:27
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Grieving a pet can be similar to mourning the loss of a family member and saying goodbye to them can be an extremely tough and emotional time.
One pet owner was left "mortified" to find out the cat they had just cremated was not even theirs after their moggy turned up alive and well.
On a recent episode of the Luanna Podcast, a listener wrote in to share with hosts - Luisa Zissman and Anna Williamson - a bizarre experience she had gone through. The listener - who has not been named - said their cat had gone missing three months ago but last week was contacted by a lady who "retrieves deceased local cats" in the area.
They said: "She told me that she had a cat which matched the description of mine found a few streets away from where I lived and asked if I wanted to see a picture. She sent me a picture of the dead cat inside a bag for life and she said she had taken it to a local vet, ironically it was the vet my cat was registered to."
The story went on to explain that the cat had been hit by a car so when the owner went in to see the cat, it was wrapped fully in a towel with its face covered as it had been "badly deformed". They confirmed the cat was theirs and spent 15 minutes crying holding the deceased cat's paw. They then went home and told their friends and family of the news.
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They continued: "We opted for the cheapest option for a communal cremation and obviously we got no ashes back. The vet was very nice and gave me some fur clippings in a jar and some paw prints. This Sunday, I went downstairs to make a cup of tea and to my surprise my cat was in the utility room, meowing at me to be fed.
"The cat I cremated was not mine. I am mortified. I've been sent pictures, spent time in the vet skiving off from work, bawling, holding said cat's paw, forced my dad to pay for the cremation, made my family light candles, and set up a shrine in my bedroom for a random cat."
To top the whole thing off, the listener explained that she was forced to tell her six-year-old son that the cat had died but had now come back to life. She added: "Do I return the fur to the vet and tell the lady who found it that the cat is not mine, or do I Just keep quiet and do nothing."
The listener said she felt "bad" for whoever's cat it was, but couldn't help but feel "embarrassed" that they had it cremated with a bunch of other animals. She added: "The longer I leave it the more humour I am getting out of looking at the shrine and it does make me chuckle each morning when I wake up but the fear of returning to the vets is just getting worse."
Apparently, this tale is all too common with one commenter saying: "This happened to me and we buried the cat, then the original owners found out and asked if they could come round and then dug it back up." Many listeners thought that story was hilarious, noting that they had done a "nice thing" saying: "The cat was dead anyway, you did a nice thing. They can't be grey at you for giving it a good send-off."
Many commentators pointed out that the story was very similar to one from Coronation Street actor Will Mellor. The 47-year-old revealed on the Two Pints With Will and Ralf podcast back in 2020 that his Bengal cat had gone missing for eight months, and after finding him it turned out the cat had throat cancer.
The Mellor family decided to put the cat down and after an emotional send-off, the ashes were placed on the mantel in the family's home. However, a few days later the actor gets a call telling him that his missing cat had in fact just been hit by a car - so they had the wrong cat put down. Someone penned: "Have you seen @Will Mellor's cat re-incarnation story? One of the most entertaining stories I've heard in years!" Another added: "This happened to Will Mellor too!"