Tadley family’s heartbreak after dead cat Covid remained unclaimed in Donnington Grove Vets’ freezer for nearly a fortnight
A family has shared their heartbreak after their pet cat died in a hit and run and was left in a vet’s freezer for nearly a fortnight before being correctly identified.
Tadley couple Yazmin Keefe and Tara-Leigh Staten had been searching for their beloved three-year-old cat Covid for 12 days before a vets finally confirmed a deceased cat that had been handed in to them was theirs.
The black and white female feline was named after the pandemic-causing disease due to being born during the first lockdown.
Yazmin said: “She will forever be in our hearts. She had such a big personality and was so loved and is truly missed.”
Covid had been struck by a car on Mount Pleasant road on May 31.
A woman witnessed the incident and flagged down a nearby police car with officers taking the dying animal to Donnington Grove Vets in Tadley.
Yazmin and Tara-Leigh contacted the vets on June 6 having heard reports that a cat similar to Covid had been handed in, but the vets stated that the cat they had was male.
The couple persevered, convinced the unclaimed animal was Covid, and on June 12 the vets confirmed that they were right. The cat had been in the freezer for 13 days unclaimed.
Yazmin said: “When we finally found out it was her we felt a mix of emotions.
“We were extremely angry because we had been told time and time again that it wasn’t her so when we received the phone call to say that someone had looked at the cat again and they now thought it was Covid our hearts just completely dropped.
“We are still devastated that our poor baby girl was killed because someone thinks it’s okay to speed down these quiet roads and that she laid in that vets unclaimed and alone.”
She also shared her gratitude to the people who tried to save the cat’s life after it was struck.
“We are going to be forever thankful to the people who witnessed the hit and run and flagged down policemen that were driving past at the time,” Yazmin said.
“We will forever be thankful to the policeman that stayed with her in his arms as she slowly faded away.”
Covid’s ashes are now on a shelf alongside two other cats owned by the couple. Chester, who was also killed by a speeding car in 2019, and Ginge, who was put to sleep in 2022 after suffering with cancer.
In a Facebook post that acted as a tribute to Covid, Yazmin wrote: “To our beautiful fur baby, we love you with all our hearts and are absolutely devastated that you were taken way too soon.
“You will forever be in our hearts and we hope you are reunited with our other two fur babies over the rainbow bridge and your kittens that didn’t make it almost one year ago.
“We love you Covvy.”
