This morning, I planned to set out early to take Sunny for a walk before church.

To my horror and distress, there was a dead grey fluffy cat lying in the middle of our driveway. He didn’t seem to be injured, and not terribly old. Nevertheless, I wept for him as he died alone, and for the distress I knew his owners would be feeling.

I took his photo and posted it on our community Facebook page, hoping the owner might see it and recognise their pet. Sometimes cats prefer to die away from their home, and I didn’t know how far he had come. Even with a death, it is better to know and grieve than to not know and always wonder and hope in vain.

In the post, I said that I would take the cat to the vet this afternoon to see if he was microchipped, in an endeavour to find the owner. I did not want the vet to cremate him, so if there was no chip I would bring him home again. I would give him a respectful burial myself as soon as I could. I wasn’t sure how I would do that as our gardens are full, and I can’t dig a deep hole. But I know some people might have just thrown him away, and that I could not bear.

Before I got home from church, I had found the owners, a family towards the end of our short street. I knew they had a dog called Pebbles, as he is friends with Sunny, but I hadn’t seen any cats.

They collected him and will bury him in their garden. Despite their natural grief, they were thankful to find him. As we chatted, I felt peace that he was back with his loved ones, and yet upset to see the daughters’ distress. Yes, they are grown young women, but one has severe anorexia, and I pray she will be strong enough to cope with this loss. Sunny walked up to each to show he understood and offered his understanding and comfort. He knew.

The cat was named Hugo, and he was only nine years old, but had apparently been ill, and they had taken him to the vet a few times. Somehow, just knowing he was loved makes a difference to me. He hadn’t been hit by a car and thrown away, or been poisoned or mistreated in any way. He was a loved pet who had a short life and chose to die in a place where he  would be valued for just a little while until he was safely home again.