A Cat Returned Home in England Four Days After "Cremation" (2 photos)

Neighbours told the owners that they had found their pet drowned in a pond. It later emerged that the owners had paid £130 to cremate someone else's pet.





The pet's owner, Nikki Knight, was on holiday with her family in Turkey when neighbours contacted her and said they had found Ted drowned in a pond. Knight told her husband and fourth children what had happened. She said they were all "devastated" to hear the news, as Ted was a "beloved member of the family".

To avoid burdening their neighbours, the family immediately decided to organise a cremation – and paid £130 for it. Knight and her family were unable to return from their trip in time, so they did not attend the animal’s funeral.

Four days after Ted’s ‘cremation’, Knight, who was still in Turkey, saw several missed calls from a cat sitter who had come into their home in North Yorkshire. She told the owner that Ted had just come through the cat flap.

‘I didn’t believe it at first. I had to get her to FaceTime me [via video] so I could check that Ted was really alive,’ Knight said.

The woman soon realised she had paid £130 to cremate someone else’s cat. When she went to collect the ashes later, she saw that the urn had been marked "Not Dead Ted".

Vicky Crelan, director of Heavenly Pets Crematorium, told the BBC that although this was a happy ending for the Knight family, there may be a family out there missing their beloved pet.