Mortified cat owner cremates 'beloved family pet' after it was found dead in the road - only for it to turn up alive days later
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A mortified father spent £180 cremating his family's 'beloved family pet' only to discover it was someone else's cat entirely. In a scene that could be mistaken for Stephen King's Pet Semetary, Michael Deegan was taken on 'an emotional rollercoaster' when his dead feline supposedly reemerged from the dead.
![[The grief-stricken father-of-two said the ginger stripes as well as the cat's white foot convinced him that the deceased animal was his]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/14/94079175-14283539-image-a-4_1736865178692.jpg)
When the father-of-two was initially told his missing nine-year-old cat Marshall may have been struck down by a car, the 42-year-old rushed to the industrial estate to identify him. The grief-stricken father-of-two said the ginger stripes as well as the cat's white foot convinced him that the deceased animal was his, so he brought the dead feline home to break the heart-wrenching news to his daughter Eliza, 12.
![[An appeal from the Deegan's as they hoped to find their feline]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/14/94079165-14283539-image-a-3_1736865173024.jpg)
But four days after 'Marshall' was cremated, the new owner of the family's previous home called Michael to tell him that he believed their pet had re-emerged in the area. Michael was adamant the cat could in no way be his - but in an unlikely twist of fate his missing feline stormed towards him after he arrived at his former home.
![[However it was only mere days later that he received a phone call from the new property owner of his previous home]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/14/94079185-14283539-image-a-2_1736865155737.jpg)
The IT worker admits he felt more embarrassed than emotional but his daughter was so relieved when she returned home from school to find her cat alive and well. The 12-year-old has since named the pet 'Jesus cat' due to its miracle-like return while Michael was mocked for the blunder - with his father-in-law joking it would make a great Specsavers advert.
![[Marshall couldn't get used to her family's new home so kept returning to the old house until he went missing at the end of October]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/14/94079183-14283539-image-a-5_1736865187462.jpg)
