Cat dies at the groomers.

[Catherine]

There is some foul play here. I knew cremation in not cheap, but I didn't know it took that long. You couldn't even get a person cremated in that time period the groomer had to work with.

It is customary, if an animal dies when it is in your care, to keep the dead animal as proof to show the owner. Either the cat escaped(less likely) or they let a dog get at it and kill it. Whatever happened, they couldn't show a body or they did not want the owner to see the condition of the body.
I wonder whose ashes they did produce. Were they even cat ashes.