The cat sitter told Knight that Ted had just walked through the catflap. “I didn’t believe it at first,” Knight said. “I had to get her to FaceTime me live so that I could see that Ted was actually alive.”
Knight soon realised she had paid £130 to cremate someone else’s cat. When she later went to collect the ashes, she saw the urn had been labelled “Not Dead Ted”.
Story time:
One day, the organisation handling pet registration in my country called me up. The person on the phone clearly tried to put on their most compassionate voice when they told me my cat was unfortunately found dead, run over by a car.
Luckily, my cat was chilling in my lap in that very moment, or I would have freaked out.
Turns out, there was a switch-up with the registration number of another cat.
I cleared it up with them, but 4 weeks later I still received a letter asking how I'm doing with the loss of my companion and if I might consider adopting another cat.
I never did find out if the owners of the cat that got run over were ever informed.
Cats in europe are far, far less at risk or a risk to the environment then in the US and outdoor cats are not at all a problem.
A cat being run over is rare. Being shot, poisoned or killed by a coyote or other wildlife quite unheard of. And they don't pose any significant thread to local wildlife.
Americans created that dangerous and deadly invironment for animals themselves. That doesn't mean that the whole world has to lock up or leash their cats.
Do you mind elaborating a bit there? I mean I know people say birds are just government surveillance drones, but even if that were true you'd have "birds" too for the cats to kill in excess.
I don't get the cars thing either. Like I know us Americans are absolute assholes in every single respect, but I'd be hard pressed to find someone who actively aims to run over cats. How is that different elsewhere?
Life hack: when your cat dies, instead of paying for a funeral, wait for your neighbor to go on vacation, kidnap their cat, and tell them their cat died instead! They'll pay for the funeral, and a few days later you can release their cat so no harm's done.
Bonus: your neighbor's cat, who is oblivious to the economic aspect to all this, gets showered with pets and treats, and your neighbor gains a new appreciation and enjoyment of their cat.