Stockport actor Will Mellow has revealed he accidentally put down someone else’s cat after mistaking it for his own pet.
His pedigree Bengal, Leo, had been missing for eight months when a neighbour innocently brought home a cat they believe belonged to the star.
Despite it looking worse for wear, the 44-year-old said he genuinely thought the cat was his, and after a vet check-up revealed the animal had throat cancer, he consented for it to be put to sleep.
He has since displayed an urn containing his beloved pets ashes on his windowsill - until his own cat turned up weeks later.
Talking to Ralf Little on their Two Pints With Will and Ralf podcast, he said: “I get a knock on the door — 'We've got your cat'. It was haggard. He had something wrong with his throat.
"So I took him to the vet, and they said, 'He's got throat cancer, got it really bad, we advise you put him down'.
"I thought, my daughter's going to be upset. So I brought him home, let them have one more day with the cat, taking pictures with him, saying goodbye to him.
"On the day, I was so upset they put me in the relatives' room. It was terrible, I was so emotional. After, we buy a cheap urn for the ashes and put it on the side.
"Anyway, a month goes by and then the buzzer goes — 'We've got your cat, it's been run over'. It was someone else's cat. I've put down someone else's cat!
“So I’m like, ‘Who the f**k’s on my windowsill then? I’ve got the ashes of someone’s cat on there, and they don’t know where the cat is, and I’ve just killed it.”
Will explained his children were overjoyed that the real Leo had returned - but he had to take him to the vet to have his hip treated after being hit by the car.
He added: "£5,000 in vet bills later… Do you know how much it is for a f**king drip on a cat overnight? A saline drip? It’s a fortune."
And in a bitter twist, he revealed Leo has once again done a runner: "Window left open, the f**ker f**ks off and he’s not been back since.
"I’ve not seen him, cost me a fortune, he’s gone. I couldn’t believe it. I was fuming. He’s gone. He’s cost me a fortune and he’s just p****d off as soon as he was fit enough."
