Cats are some of the sweetest and most cuddly animals out there.
I can’t understand how anyone could want to hurt one.
Sadly, people never fail to shock — and the story of Roaming Ronnie has left thousands in disbelief.
Familiar sight in the port town
A devastated cat owner is grieving the tragic loss of her cherished Maine Coon, Ronnie, after the cat was reportedly kicked into traffic by a schoolboy in England.
The cat was just 18 months old.
Ronnie wasn’t just any cat — he had become a local celebrity in Ellesmere Port, a port town in the Cheshire, England. He was a familiar sight at the local hospital, school, charity food pantry, neighborhood shops, and even visited many families in their homes.
His owner, Kim Woods Rogers, even created a Facebook page, Roaming Ronnie, to share his daily adventures with the community.
”He was just so friendly and loved being with people and exploring. He was so gentle and funny – he had this grumpy little face which just made you laugh,” Kim told Liverpool Echo.
Ronnie’s love for wandering often meant locals would call Kim to let her know they had spotted him.
”As soon as I started letting him out, every day I’d get a phone call from somebody saying they have my cat and asking if he was mine. So I set up a Facebook page so that people would know not to worry about him being lost when they see him,” Kim explained.
”We called it ‘Roaming Ronnie’ and the whole community got to know him. He’d go to the school every day, the hospital, the shops. He just had a really lovely personality.”
Devastating call from the vet
Kim recalls the morning of June 19, 2025, as starting normally.
Kim fed Ronnie and his sister before going for a shower. Afterward, a neighbor knocked on her door and asked if her cats were inside. She replied that she wasn’t sure and asked why, and the neighbor explained that one of the cats had been knocked over on the road, though he didn’t know if it was hers.
When Kim checked Ronnie’s tracker, she received calls from the vets confirming that it was indeed Ronnie and that he had sadly passed away after being hit. Despite his short life, he had spread so much love. While the news was devastating, she thought she could cope if it had been a simple accident.
But the heartbreak didn’t end there. Hours later, Kim was contacted by a witness whose daughter attends Whitby High School and revealed what really happened.
”A couple of hours later, somebody rang me up and said, ‘I’m sorry to have to tell you this but I need you to know how Ronnie died. It wasn’t his fault and he wasn’t running across the road.”
”There’d been a year 11s leavers assembly and the pupils were all lining up outside the gate. There was a group of lads among them and one of them kicked Ronnie into the road and he was run over by a car. This woman’s daughter goes to the school and witnessed it. There were a few kids there who saw it and there’s a few traumatized kids. The worst thing is that he stood there laughing with his mates when he’d done it.”
Update on the case
Kim expressed disbelief and anger over the incident.
”I have no idea what makes someone do something like this. There must be something missing in their brain. It’s not normal behavior. A cat’s life is just as important. They’re so innocent and pure and it affects you so much when you lose them. It’s not ‘just a cat’. The family hasn’t even come to me, the lad hasn’t even come to me, the driver who knocked him over – who I don’t blame – drove off.”
Cheshire Police said, according to the Echo:
”Police were called at 12.45pm on Thursday 19 June following a report a cat had been hit by a car and sadly killed on Sycamore Drive, Ellesmere Port. The caller reported that the cat may have been deliberately kicked into the road.
”The incident has been reviewed by officers and has been referred to the local school and the RSPCA.”
The Whitby High School responded with a statement:
”The school has acted swiftly and properly and we have worked with the police and RSPCA to ensure that the matter is dealt with appropriately.
”We cannot give any further details at this stage but want to reassure you that everything we are able to do has been done. The head has worked closely with the owner of the cat and met with her yesterday. The owner stated that she is happy with the response from the school and told the head that she felt reassured that the matter had been taken seriously.”
In an update on Roaming Ronnie’s Facebook page on July 1, Kim wrote that the school finally reached out to her, saying they had done everything they could and couldn’t do anything further since the pupils were no longer at the school—a detail she hadn’t been told when she first visited them.
”It is now a police matter which is infuriating as I was told by the police that this is not something they would be involved with and I have had no contact from the police whatsoever,” Kim added.
Ronnie may be gone, but his story has touched the hearts of the community — and animal lovers everywhere. Kim hopes his legacy will remind people of the value of every animal life and the importance of kindness.
READ MORE
- 7 surprising reasons why you should sleep with your dog in bed every night
- Michael J Fox shares heartbreaking update amid Parkinson’s diagnosis
