Social media can be a powerful tool when it comes to spreading the word about important things, whether it’s crowdfunding for charity or searching for a missing pet.
So when Sophie Johnson took to Facebook to appeal for helpers in searching for her missing cat, Lentil, Lauren Faulkner and her boyfriend Charlie Allan were more than happy to oblige.
Sophie pleaded for help when someone reported seeing a ‘really muddy’ cat who looked a lot like Lentil in Prestonpans, Edinburgh, but she wasn’t able to get there and have a look for herself.
On seeing her post, Lauren and Charlie decided to be good Samaritans by going out looking for Lentil themselves, and they were overjoyed when they spotted a beautiful rag doll cat who matched Lentil’s description.
‘MATE, WE’VE F*CKING GOT HIM,’ Lauren texted Sophie, telling her the good news.
‘Omg, hahahahaha send pics,’ Sophie replied. ‘Omg I’m shaking, OMG is it actually him? I can’t believe it man.’
However, things took a turn for the worse when a woman approached Lauren and Charlie, who were putting the cat in their car, to tell them they were actually abducting the wrong cat.
Lauren told UNILAD:
The lady told us, ‘Just so you know, that’s not the right cat, he’s been living here for about a year. I’ve heard about the missing cat but I can point you in the direction of the owner’s house if you want’.
She was lovely, we were having a laugh about it because I was mortified.
After realising their mistake, Lauren took to Twitter to share their hilarious mishap, telling her followers:
Canny believe me and Charlie went out to look for Sophie’s cat earlier and we STOLE THE WRONG CAT.
As if that wasn’t funny enough, one of Lauren’s followers shared a screenshot of a message from the owner of Lentil’s lookalike, and it’s fair to say she was less than amused by the couple’s mishap.
Writing on a local Prestonpan Facebook page, the owner wrote:
Someone just tried to steal our Railey ragdoll cat. Luckily to our wonderful neighbours it was prevented. We are aware of a missing cat who looks a little like ours and we are sorry for the owners but turning up at someone’s home and trying to steal an animal is an appalling and cowardly act.
Fortunately, Lauren could see the funny side, explaining:
A mean we didn’t run about in f*cking balaclavas nor getting wrestled to the ground while trying to abduct the cat.
Some c*nt went ‘that’s not the right cat by the way’ and I let it out and we all laughed.
Everyone lock your cats up we are clearly very dangerous.
The makeup artist added:
A chapped her door earlier by the way because the neighbour told me where she lived to apologise for the confusion, but she didn’t answer, am no coward.
At the end of the day, Lauren and Charlie were only trying to do a good deed when they found the cat – I doubt they’re on a mission to abduct all the cats in Edinburgh.
On a serious note, Lentil is still missing, so keep your eyes peeled in Prestonpans for a gorgeous little ragdoll cat who answers to the name Lentil. Here’s to hoping Sophie is reunited with her fur baby soon. If you see him, contact Sophie on Twitter.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via story@unilad.com
Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.