Cat killed by reclining chair

A Plymstock woman says she has been left devastated after her cat was killed in a freak accident involving a reclining chair. Mel Wills said 13-month-old Sheba had curled up to sleep under the footrest of the electric chair but was forgotten about and was accidently pushed into the mechanism when the footrest was put down.

She now wants to send out a message to cat-lovers who have similar chairs to check underneath before they release the footrest. "I miss my sweet little girl so much I don't want this to happen to someone else's pet," said Miss Wills, 45. "She was too young to die.



"She had her whole life to look forward to and would have been absolutely spoilt. I still blame myself, although I know it was a freak accident. As it was dark under there, we forgot about her being curled up fast asleep. Mum put the footrest down and it pushed her into the mechanism, where she was killed by part of it pressing on her throat. I had to call the fire brigade to get her out."

She has since taken the chair to pieces and says she is planning to give it to charity, as she can't bear to look at it any longer. Miss Wills is now sharing her home with an 11-month-old cat called Saffron from Gables Farm Cats and Dogs Home.