Beloved cat's memorial on tram stop taken down — but is going back to where it truly belongs

Benton, a former stray cat, had become famous for befriending passengers at a tram stop in Nottinghamshire. His popularity had grown so much that the Nottingham Express Transit (NET), the tram company, had even put up a memorial post for him at the stop after he passed away in 2021. However, when Ginny Hicks, Benton's owner, who had rescued him when he was only about a 4-month-old baby, met a tram worker while traveling for work, the man revealed that the tram stop information board was about to be updated, and hence, Benton's memorial would soon be taken down, the BBC reported.

"She (Ginny) struck up a conversation with him. They offered really quickly to give [Benton's memorial] back to her and arranged it all... but if she hadn't been going to work at that time on that day, it might not have happened," Steph Hicks, Ginny's daughter shared. Though the memorial poster has been taken down from the tram post, at least it was handed safely to the Hicks family, who can possibly keep it as a heartwarming memory of their beloved animal companion. Notably, when Ginny had rescued Benton, he wasn't in a great condition, and nobody would have trusted that someone saying that the same cat would become a sensation in the near future. In 2015, fortunately, the Hicks family stepped up and rescued Benton just in time from nearly being hit by a bus. 

"He was a really big personality, even for a cat. He'd just go down there [Inham Road tram stop] all the time, because he was smart enough to know that there are people who are going to be staying still there. If there was somebody out on the street, he wanted to be their friend," Steph said, revealing how, after his death, her family had been speaking to complete strangers who had nothing but love for the little furry baby. Moving on, the news outlet says that Benton's heartfelt memorial was safely delivered back to his family on June 3rd, 2025. Talking about it, Steph shared, "We're very touched by all of this, it just kind of feels like it's come full circle with him coming home." Now, remember, though the tram company decided to remove Benton's old memorial post, they have certainly not forgotten the adorable cat. The company, according to the BBC, has added information about Benton and has even attached his pictures to their website. 

"So it's a bit bittersweet, because obviously we still miss Benton, but knowing that he was so loved, it's a nice feeling." "[We're] completely fine with that. We feel really cared for by NET and the lovely gestures that they've done there," Steph added, explaining that NET, the tram company, had to change the information board because it was "outdated." For most owners, their pets aren't just animals; they're their family, who are equally important to them as any other human companion in their life. Of course, losing them is an incredible pain that they would, perhaps, never overcome, but to honor their life, they go above and beyond imagination to bid them a good farewell. As per a report citing the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), 56% of pet owners in the United States opt for memorial services, such as cremation or burial.