The amusing cat news today, which has been well covered by the media online, is that a black-and-white cat called Ted, returned to his owners four days after his cremation 💖. Ted’s caregiver is Nicci Knight. She was on holiday in Turkey when a neighbour told her that Ted had been found dead in their pond. She organised Ted’s cremation while on holiday. She learned later that Ted had made a surprise return to her home through his cat flap. The cremation cost £130. Nicci said: “I’ve paid £130 to cremate someone else’s cat”.
It is amusing in one respect and a relief that Ted is alive and well. That’s where the focus has been for the news media. There have been other stories of normally black cats being mistakenly identified after their death sometimes on the road.
You can see how this happens. You own a black cat and your neighbour does as well. Your neighbour’s cat is killed on the road and another neighbour says that your cat has been killed on the road. You go to identify the dead cat and decide that it is the body of your cat because black cats are very similar in appearance and the injuries may mask the appearance.
There are 3 aspects to this story:
- Ted coming back from the dead! Mentioned above.
- How did the other cat drown?
- Who was the other cat?
How did it happen?
The other aspect of the story which disturbs me slightly is that a dead cat was found in a neighbour’s pond. For me, sadly, there’s no news about this cat. Who is the owner of this cat that so sadly passed away through drowning in a pond?
And how did it happen? Domestic cats very, very rarely drown in ponds or any other area of water. They are very good swimmers, very athletic and quite capable of dealing with water. Many cats like water despite what you read online.
I would still question how this might have happened but we don’t know what kind of pond it was. It may be an artificial pond with an edge that is sheer and difficult for a cat to climb. The point I’m making is that a domestic cat is highly unlikely to have drowned in a garden pond under normal circumstances unless the pond is very difficult to get out of. And then you’ve got to factor in how unusual it is for a cat to fall into a pond. The whole thing looks very suspicious to me but we don’t have enough information.
The deceased cat?
The suggestion by the BBC is that the drowned cat was possibly a stray or a farm cat. I think I would like a bit more information on that if I was Nicci Knight. It would be nice for the news media to focus a little more on the poor cat that drowned. A life was lost. Whose life? However, the good side of the story is that the drowned cat was then cremated and given a proper sendoff. So, the mistake at least led to something good for an unfortunate stray cat if that is what happened.
Swimming pools
On a separate topic, it’s worth mentioning that there have been instances of domestic cats drowning in swimming pools although they are rare. It would seem possible for a cat to fall into a pool accidentally while exploring around the pool area or perhaps while trying to drink some of the water. Pools are very difficult to climb out of. That might cause the death of a cat by drowning.
There is an argument that pools should be inaccessible to neighbours’ cats. It’s perhaps a good idea to ensure that pools are probably fenced or covered and to monitor outdoor access for pets. Adding pool ramps or steps that can help animals exit the pool safety can also be a helpful measure.
An artificially created pond shouldn’t really have smooth walls because, as mentioned, they would prevent exit by an animal falling in.
