Mansfield family's heartbreak at council's cat disposal

A family has been left heart broken after their beloved pet - who died after being hit by a car - was given to them in a bin bag.

Cat lover Nicola Dare, 37, of Appin Road, Mansfield has said the way staff from Mansfield Distict Council treated her family pet’s body added to the ‘distress’ of the situation.

Pye who was a one-and-a-half year-old cat died after it was hit by a car on Sutton Road yesterday (Wednesday, November 8).

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Nicola said: “The lady who had found her asked around and found where we lived.

“We called the council but by the time the lady had got home the council had collected Pye.

“We picked her up at 4pm from their cleansing department site on Hermitage Lane, we had to wait all day as she was in the back of a van.

“I was really upset when we got there and the woman on the desk who said to bring ‘it’ round.

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“They brought her out in a black bin bag and dumped her on the pavement out side.

“I burst into tears, vomited and became hysterical.

“I felt like they treated her like a bag of rubbish.

Nicola has said that her two children are devastated and they have since buried Pye in the back garden.

“This was a much loved member of our family and we found the whole process disrespectful and extremely insensitive.

“Thank goodness our children were not present.

“We think that as the cleansing department must deal with this kind of thing all the time they should maybe be a little more sensitive and put a little more thought into the return of dead pets to their owners.”

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Julie Snowdon, Town Centre and Street Cleansing Manager for Mansfield District Council, said: “We are very sorry for the family’s loss of their pet and for any distress caused.

“All dead cats and dogs that we collect are scanned for a microchip and if they are chipped, we keep them for a suitable period of time while we try to contact the registered owner.

“In this case, no chip was found but fortunately the person who reported the cat quickly got in touch to say they knew who it belonged to and we were able to contact the owner. The cat was returned to their owner within a very short period of time, soon after the crew returned to the depot towards the end of their shift.

“Sadly, due to the condition of some of the animals we collect, the most appropriate way of transporting them securely is wrapped in plastic although often they are then placed inside a box for collection. In this case, as the cat was presented to the cleansing team already in a bag the decision was made not to disturb the cat.

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“A member of staff went to fetch the cat while the owner waited inside reception. The cat was momentarily placed on the ground outside while the owner was brought out so as not to take the cat into the reception area and cause any distress to customers or staff who may be present. The cat was then handed over to the owner. Again, we apologise for any distress caused.”