A North Somerset family has said that it cannot come to terms with the death of their pet cat after they say the council lost it.
Sian Atyeo's cat - Oscar - is believed to have been knocked down by a car on the A370 near the family's home in Brockley on December 2.
Neighbours said the pet's body was collected by North Somerset Council's maintenance branch, Glendale.
More than 10 days passed before the Atyeo family were made aware of their pet's death and they immediately tried to retrieve Oscar's body to give him a private cremation - a family pet tradition.
Sian said: "We have not long lost a family dog and we had a similar ceremony then. It gives us closure as a family, but we have not been given this chance with Oscar.
"We tracked down where Oscar should have been, in Weston's Transfer Station - where the council stores dead animals."
However, Sian revealed that after visiting the site, there was no record of any cat being stored in the freezer around the timeframe given, and a physical search proved this to be true.
She said: "The staff were very helpful but said there was not much more they could do, and so, pointed us to Glendale."
Miss Atyeo said Glendale initially denied collecting the cat.
However, the firm later confirmed they had, but said no chip was detected when Oscar was scanned.
She said: "We were told by witnesses that Oscar's body was intact, so it would be unlikely that his chip was missing.
"It rubs salt in the wounds as we do not expect to be reunited with Oscar to give him the send-off he deserves, and it is most likely that he is on a landfill site somewhere after being incorrectly disposed of.
"Whether he was scanned or not, he should have been in the freezer but now it seems he will be lost forever”.
A North Somerset Council spokesman said: "We are sympathetic to the feelings of the owners of the cat and appreciate how difficult this situation must be.
"Glendale will be investigating the matter fully as soon as possible.
"Our contractors have collected 260 animals so far this year. All of these animals have been treated with respect and taken for cremation.
"We apologise for any distress caused and welcome the outcome of the investigation."
The Atyeo family have set up a fundraising page to have a sculpture of Oscar made, with all leftover proceeds being donated to a nearby cat charity.
To donate, log on to www.gofundme.com/f/a-memorial-sculpture-of-oscar-for-sian
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