Animal-lover Nicci Knight got the shock of her life when her beloved cat, Ted, arrived home – four days after he’d been cremated.

Nicci was halfway through a family holiday in Turkey when she received a heartbreaking message, revealing poor Ted had been found dead back home in North Yorkshire.

She was relaxing by the pool in the resort of Dalaman when the message came through on her mobile phone – via her video doorbell – in the North Yorkshire village of Newby, near Stokesley.

Nicci burst into tears when her neighbours’ children even held up five-year-old Ted’s distinctive black and white body to the camera as proof of his untimely passing after being found dead in their garden pond.

Grief-stricken Nicci called her cat-sitter, Elise Garbutt, to tell her about the tragedy, then arranged for the Heavenly Pets Crematorium, in Thornaby, near Stockton, to have Ted’s body collected and cremated at a cost of £130.

“There was nothing else we could do, and it cast a shadow over the holiday,” said Nicci who’d flown to Turkey with husband, Maaz, and their four children.

However, four days later, Elise, who was also popping in to feed Ted’s sister, Moosh, made a traumatised call to say: “You’re not going to believe this – Ted’s just walked in through the cat-flap!”

“I thought I was seeing a cat-ghost,” exclaimed Elise.

Ted had not only come back to life, but proudly deposited a definitely dead mouse on the carpet as a homecoming gift.

Nicci, who adopted Ted and Moosh as kittens from a rescue centre, described the episode as “a rollercoaster of emotions”.

“One minute we were devastated to hear Ted was dead, and the next we were elated to find out he was fit and well. It was just crazy,” she said.

Nicci immediately called Heavenly Pets to alert them to the mistake but was told the cremation had already taken place.

“It’s not Ted – it’s a lookalike!” Nicci found herself yelling down the phone.

It led to the ashes of the doppelganger moggie being temporarily stored in a container labelled: “Not dead Ted.”

(Image: Peter Barron)

“Heavenly Pets were brilliant. They were so compassionate and professional from the moment I called in a panic – but we couldn’t help seeing the funny side of the mix-up,” said Nicci.

After giving Ted an extra-special hug when she arrived home, Nicci went to the pet crematorium to be given a memory bag including:

  • The unknown cat’s ashes.
  • A framed paw-print
  • Nose prints
  • A tiny jar with a fur sample
  • A sympathy card
  • A packet of forget-me-not seeds
  • And an official certificate of cremation

(Image: Peter Barron)

Nicci, who owns a children’s nursery and childcare business, has made extensive efforts to find the owners of the dead cat without success – so the name on the cremation certificate remains blank.

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“Ted’s the most gorgeous cat and he’s part of the family, but we know there’s someone out there who’s missing a pet and feeling sad, so the search goes on,” she said.

In the meantime, Ted’s enjoying life back home with sister Moosh and the family’s pet dogs. One’s called Madi and, to add to the confusion, the other’s called Ted!

The family had another cat, Fred, who died two years ago, is buried in their back garden…at least for now!