Coventry City Council is mandated to give five days’ grace before incinerating an animal which has been reported dead and collected by council staff.
But Andrea Davies from Tile Hill says her 18-year-old cat Barb was incinerated the day after she was reported dead, leaving her owner absolutely no opportunity to say goodbye.
“To be told your animal has been killed in such a horrific way is heartbreaking. But then to contact the council to collect your cat and to be told it had already been incinerated is just devastating,” Andrea said in a statement.
Barb’s lifeless body was discovered by a neighbor on November 4. Not realizing it was Andrea’s cat, she contacted the council who collected the body.
Coventry City Council did admit to the mistake and apologized to Andrea.
“Dead animals that have been collected by the council are taken away for incineration on the same day each week. We understand on this occasion the cat’s owner wasn’t given the opportunity to visit her cat and for this we apologise.”
Andrea says she hopes the Council will tighten up procedures surrounding the discovery of dead pets so that in future other people will not go through the same experience.
“I just wanted a chance to see her one last time and to say goodbye to her. It would have been lovely to have cremated her myself. Now I have nothing.”
Photo credit: BPM Media526