Family left shocked after pet cat they thought they had cremated, returns home

A family in northern England was left pleasantly surprised after their beloved cat, who was presumed dead, returned home after days. Owner Rachel Fitzsimons and her family became concerned after their 16-year-old tabby named Frankie disappeared from their home in Warrington, Cheshire on 19 May. Days later, they were hit by a devastating discovery. Fitzsimons had come across a similar-looking dead cat on the M6 motorway. Presuming it was their little Frankie, the Highways England staff handed over the remains of the feline to the family, who cremated it and mourned their pet's death. 

But then a miracle happened as Frankie has reappeared and he was very much alive and well. Fitzsimons' 7-year-old son, Remy, was so excited that he declared, "It's a miracle. We thought he had died." According to BBC, the meandering cat had been missing for a few days and the family could not find him, despite sending out search parties. When the owner came across a similar-looking cat corpse near her home, she informed the highway authorities, who handed over the cat not before confirming the similar markings on him. The family underwent a great deal of pain during a cremation ceremony and had even carried the ashes of the feline in a box back home. "Then he came back, frail and hungry but alive," said Fitzsimons.

It was her husband, John, who heard a noise at the back door one day. When he went to check, he was shocked to find Frankie casually strolling in. Of course, the family was extremely happy about the return of their pet, who they presumed was dead. "He was bedraggled and very thin, meowing to come in as if nothing had happened. We all cried and we are still in shock. He's so lucky," said the owner, according to Mirror. However, this meant, the ashes of the cat, the family had cremated did not belong to Frankie after all. "So we cremated someone else's cat," Fitzsimons said of the blunder. "We would like to know whose pet we have cremated!"

The fact that Frankie returned home after days of adventure on the street shows how much he loves his family. Another cat named Fluffy had the same, if not more, amount of love for his owner Ron Williams. The old army veteran adopted the lonely male cat after falling in love with him instantly. Fluffy even ended up saving the Sturgis, Michigan resident's life. Williams loves talking to his pet and joking around with him. Every time his phone would ring, the veteran would say, "Ring-a-ding, Fluffy, ring-a-ding!" and this phrase became crucial in saving his life. 

Williams, who used to walk using a walker, was left in a position where it was impossible to move and get help. "My arm was pinned under me and the hours kept going by," he said of an accident that happened around 8 in the morning. The elderly man had spent an excruciating 16 hours lying on the floor helplessly as his Life Alert was in the other room, the main door was locked, and his phone was out of his reach. Although he was alone, the man suddenly remembered that he had Fluffy with him inside the bathroom. "I said ‘ring-a-ding Fluffy, you’re my only hope.' And he was," said the army veteran, who remembers the cat fetching him the phone within five minutes after it associated the phrase with the phone. For Williams, Fluffy is his hero now who saved his life. "He’s my hero, and he always will be. He’ll never be away from me until the day I die," he said.

Representative cover image source: Getty | Photo by Ingus Kruklitis