May 24, 2013: "There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat." - Tay Hohoff

Norman the cat; Resurrected?

A stunned family who thought their pet cat had come back from the dead just 24 hours after his funeral realised they had buried the wrong animal.

Mother-of-two Karen Jones, 48, of Ashford, Kent, was heartbroken when she spotted what she believed was her missing black tom Norman dead at the side of a busy road.

A passer-by then told the family that the creature had been hit by a passing car and killed instantly.

The tearful owner scooped up the dead animal, convinced it was her beloved two-year-old pet, because it was the same size and had the same coloured fur and eyes.

Her son Harry, 22, spent two hours digging a grave in the back garden before the whole family buried the cat with Norman's favourite toy mouse.

After the hour-long ceremony they then set a black porcelain cat on top of the grave as a head stone. But the next day the family were amazed when Norman scampered into their kitchen - and ate his breakfast.

Shocked Mrs Jones believed her cat had come back from the dead and ran outside to see if he had dug himself out of the ground.

It was only when she found the grave still intact she realised they must have buried the wrong cat.
She today made a sombre appeal to try and trace the owner of the cat - still buried in her back garden.

Mrs Jones said: ‘I hadn't seen Norman all morning because he often goes roaming around. So I had a feeling it was him when I saw the cat by the side of the road.

‘ It was exactly the same size, same colour and had the same face. We were in tears all day. We brought it back and buried him in bags in the bottom of our garden.

‘ But then the next day Norman came wandering in and he was really grumpy because he hadn't had any breakfast. We couldn't believe it. We just picked him up and started cuddling him.

‘ At first I thought he had been resurrected from the dead - but he didn't know what all the fuss was about. Then I realised we must have had the wrong cat.

‘ It was incredibly emotional because we had spent a whole day grieving. Suddenly we found ourselves switching from tears of sadness to tears of joy.’

In a celebration of Norman's return on Tuesday, Mrs Jones’s brother Paul May, 45, wrote and played a song to the whole family called ‘It is the Day of Norman's Rising’.

She added: ‘It is all really funny but I was devastated when I found out that he had died and there must be a cat owner out there who feels like I did.’

Mr May, who works for a youth offending service, said: ‘I was standing at the sink making myself a drink when I heard the cat flap and just saw this tail in the conservatory.

‘ I said '"Is that you Norman?" and he meowed back. He's a very talkative cat. I took him up to show everyone and I said "Norman has risen from the dead".’

She also revealed that Norman had previously been a notorious fighter and she had always feared that a day might come when he wouldn't return home.

'At first I thought he had been resurrected from the dead - but he didn't know what all the fuss was about. Then I realised we must have had the wrong cat'

A year ago he broke a leg and just a month ago he received a scratch to his eye after a fight with a fellow cat.

But now she is just happy that the cat is home and hopes that she will not have to hold another vigil anytime soon.

Mrs Jones, who is a store trainer at Sainsbury's, said: ‘Norman has been in the wars in the past and has come back dragging an injured leg behind him.

‘ He is a tom cat so just goes roaming about and pops in every now and then for some food.

‘ But we hadn't seen him for a few hours that morning and I thought he might have got in another fight or something. The whole family are just delighted he is home.’

"My Infinite Gratitude"

The following is a relatively short yet very heartening list of those who have contributed in support of the Infinite Cat Project over the years. In lieu of listing the names in any intelligent way I decided to post them alphabetically. It's not a perfect system, as those of you of Polish descent get the shaft again <grin> but at least it helps me keep the names straight.

In case you're wondering, names in white indicate donations of $5 or less, while green notates donations in excess of $10. The single listing in orange is for a very exceptional cat lover who recently earned the prestigious "Quadruple Kittyhead" for her generous and continuing support. (You know who you are and I want to have your children.)