Nursing assistant Harriet Peace spent £4,000 stuffing her dead cat Tango after he was struck by a car
Ms Peace now wants to challenge notions about taxidermy and encourage other people who can afford it
A devastated cat owner who spent £4,000 stuffing her beloved animal to make it look as it was asleep in its basket has insisted it was the best decision she ever made.
Nursing assistant Harriet Peace, 28, was distraught when her cat Tango died after being hit by a car in September 2021.
Ms Peace says she couldn’t bear the thought of burying her cat, which she thought of as ‘her child’ and so was determined to have him preserved.
The taxidermy process took seven months and Tango had to be sent down to a special business in London. His grieving owner collected him last month and was thrilled with the results.
Ms Peace, of Mauchline, Ayrshire, said: ‘He looks so realistic. He’s exactly how he was and I’m so happy I have him here to remember him.’
She said her former partner, who she shared Tango with, was ‘horrified’ by the idea but it didn’t stop her.
‘Everyone jumps to the conclusion it is disgusting or degrading or prevents an animal from being at peace, but it’s done very respectfully.
‘If you had the chance to have your pet preserved how it was before for the rest of your life, wouldn’t you do it?
‘It is the best decision I ever could have made.’
Despite being hit by a car, Ms Peace said the cat had no visible injuries and he just looked asleep.
But when the time came on April 26, she went and picked Tango up from London to bring him home.
And as soon as she saw him, all her worries disappeared, adding: ‘I couldn’t believe it. His fur and everything – it was amazing. He is so realistic.’
Ms Peace wants to challenge notions about taxidermy and encourage people who can afford it to consider it.