Cat Receives Advent Calendar In The Mail
Ted the cat, who lives in London, finally received his advent calendar in the mail yesterday. The Mirror reports that Royal Mail originally denied Ted the gift because he didn’t have any ID, but that didn’t stop the little feline from fulfilling his Christmas wish.
Ted’s owner, Brittany Maher-Kirk, told Facebook that her mum addressed the package to the cat as a joke, and when they went to pick it up they ran into a problem — Ted is an animal and has no ID.
Brittany took to Facebook to explain her situation, writing, “So my mum posted the cat an advent calendar. Unfortunately, we missed the delivery and the post office won’t give it to me as the cat does not have ID.”
She continued, “I’ve got to ring up the Post Office Head Office and explain that my mother has sent the cat an advent calendar, addressed to the cat, and he can’t pop in to pick it up himself or lend me his ID to do it for him.”
@brittanymkirk so Ted received his calender then? Luckily the BBC kept me in the loop. https://t.co/pDdypQIODd
— David Jani (@Astronomicus) December 8, 2015
Vari Lambert, one of Brittany’s friends, joked that “he might have to paw a letter of complaint otherwise.”
Thanks to Brittany and Ted’s persistence, they actually did get to receive the advent calendar in the mail — it was a true Christmas miracle. Apparently, the Royal Mail actually took the whole story quite well and wanted to help.
Brittany writes, “I rang up Royal Mail in the first instance, and they have been very good about it. They said that they were under no obligation to give the parcel out without ID, however, to pop down to the depot and explain. I did just that and they were brilliant – took it all in very good humour.”
It’s nice to see a story about other people having some Christmas joy. Upon further questioning, the Royal Mail was confused as to why Ted wasn’t brought down the first time to pick up the advent calendar, but it turns out he has FIV, which is the cat form of HIV. According to BBC News, Ted was picked up from Cats Protection by Brittany and her boyfriend six months ago.
Brittany, when referring to her mother, said, “It was a real sense of ‘What has she done now? I’ve got to be that person who tells Royal Mail I’ve got a parcel for my cat’.”
A representative from the Royal Mail says that they actually deliver packages to many animals at households around the UK. It’s nice to see that they had a sense of humor about the whole thing, as reports say the location was in “absolute hysterics” when Brittany came down to tell them about picking up an advent calendar.
The representative advises animals to “ask for their owner’s name to be included on the package” to “ensure that cats can get their human to accept their parcels on their behalf.”
Well spoken, Royal Mail spokesperson. It’s not uncommon to wrap gifts for pets at home and stick them under the tree, but just be mindful when sending packages.
Apparently, Ted the cat is absolutely loving his advent calendar and “makes weird chirping, meowing noises” when the windows are opened.
This story is sure to amuse cat fans from all over and might even spur a few internet memes in the process. Just think twice when trying to send your cat an advent calendar in the near future, or any kind of animal for that matter.
[Image via Brittany Maher-Kirk/Facebook]
