Family's 'huge shock' after their dead and cremated cat returns home alive

Frankie the cat went missing for a few days before his owner spotted an identical deceased cat. Photo / 123rf

One UK family got the fright of their lives when their "deceased" and "cremated" cat turned up alive and well.

Frankie the 16-year-old tabby went missing from his home in Cheshire in northwest England, last month.

The missing tabby was missing for a few days when the family sent out search parties in the hopes of finding their beloved pet.

Days later while driving on the motorway Rachel Fitzsimons spotted a similar cat that was dead where she alerted road staff.

"The markings matched Frankie and we live close to the motorway, so we were sure it was him," she told the Mirror UK.

Staff at Highways England returned the deceased cat which was a tabby cat with identical white markings.

The devastated family then had the cant cremated and brought the ashes back home in a box.

When Frankie reappeared Fitzsimons' 7-year-old son Remy was gobsmacked and the family received a "huge shock".

"It's a miracle. We thought he had died" Remy said.

"Then he came back, frail and hungry but alive.

But Frankie's return did raise the question of who's cat the family had cremated and stored in the box in their home.

"So we cremated someone else's cat."