A family has been left devastated after their pet cat was put down without their consent by a vet who thought it was a stray. Julie Neeson was worried when the cat, who was called Babies, didn't come home after being let out in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim. She went looking for the animal with daughters Tia, 13 and Kiana, 10, but a worried passer-by had already taken him to a local vets. Devastated: Kiana Neeson, 10, and her family were left devastated when their pet cat Babies was put down without their consent or knowledge. Vets presumed the animal was a stray when it was handed in without a collar or microchip . Tia and Kiana (pictured with their other cats) wrote a letter to Babies after discovering he had been put down . With no microchip and his collar already removed by the time he was brought in staff presumed Babies was a stray and gave him a lethal injection after detecting signs of illness. The family arrived the following day to be presented with his frozen body. Speaking of the loss, Mrs Neeson said: 'I am devastated, my daughters are devastated. 'When I got there they handed my cat to me and he was frozen. He had been kept in the freezer over night. 'He was frozen stiff and waiting to be disposed of. I couldn't believe it.' When Babies first went missing the family did not panic as he was so well liked by neighbours he often spent the night at their houses, she added. The vet who gave Babies the lethal injection has since apologised for the confusion. 'I'd like to express my sympathies to the cat’s family at this difficult time, and I am sorry that this decision was made without them being present,' she said in a Facebook post,' Belfast Live reports. 'This poor cat was suffering from chronic renal failure and had been for some time. Heartache: A note penned by the 10-year-old following the cat's death. Babies did not return home after being let out one evening . The animal was so well liked by neighbours he would often spend the night at their homes, said Mrs Neelson . 'The cat was presented to us as a stray by a concerned member of the public who felt sorry for him and took it upon herself to bring him to the vets.' A spokesperson for Pets At Home said: 'We completely understand the family’s response and it’s never easy to lose a beloved pet. 'Our vet is very experienced, fully qualified and was acting in the best interests of the cat. We’d like to express our sympathies to the family at this difficult time.' 'The cat was brought in and presented as a stray by a concerned and sympathetic member of the public who recognised that he was not well. 'The cat was in the end-stages of chronic renal failure. He had clearly suffered from this condition for a number of years and was unfortunately untreatable. 'He was not wearing a collar, and was scanned for a microchip but none was found. 'Unable to identify the owners and with the cat suffering, he made the difficult decision to put him down. 'We’d like to express our sympathies to the family at this difficult time.' The animal was put down by vets at a pets at home store near her home. The store has apologised for the incident since .
Julie Neeson's cat Babies did not come home after being let out at night . The animal was picked up by a stranger and taken to a local pet store . There vets considered it a stray as it was not wearing a microchip or collar . Babies had been suffering renal failure and was given the lethal injection . Mrs Neeson and her two daughters discovered he was dead the next day .