Sam Mac announces his rescue cat Coco has died in tearful video

Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac broke down in tears on Sunday as he announced his pet cat Coco had died.

He said he’d been through ‘one of the worst days of my life’ after coming home to find his Burmilla rescue cat unwell, before confirming Coco’s death hours later.

Sam, 40, said in a tearful Instagram video: ‘I got home from Canada and opened the door. Coco was slumped over against the wall.’

Loss: Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac broke down in tears on Sunday as he announced his pet cat Coco had died

‘Her legs weren’t functioning. Her eyes were closed, but she was still breathing but in a really bad way. It was extremely confronting,’ he added.

Sam, who started an Instagram account for Coco that grew to 13,000 followers, said he rushed his cat to the vet, but she was ‘not responsive’ to treatment and there was nothing they could do to save her.

‘Just after midday today I had to say goodbye to Coco,’ he said, breaking down in tears.

‘It doesn’t feel real. It f**king hurts. She’s been such an important part of my life, a real shining light, one of the best things to ever happen to me.

‘She’s made me so happy. She’s my best little buddy. She’s always been there for the last 13 years.’ 

Tearful: Sam said he’d been through ‘one of the worst days of my life’ after coming home to find his Burmilla rescue cat unwell, before confirming Coco’s death hours later

Sam had adopted Coco from the RSPCA when she was a kitten.

In addition to her appearances on Sunrise and Instagram, Coco also featured on the cover of Sam’s 2021 autobiography Accidental Weatherman.

Sam revealed in 2019 he’d taken Coco with him to the Logie Awards, and even treated her to hotel room service.

Man’s best friend: Sam had adopted Coco from the RSPCA when she was a kitten

Friends: In addition to her appearances on Sunrise and Instagram, Coco also featured on the cover of Sam’s 2021 autobiography Accidental Weatherman

‘Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that all men were created equal… I had a dream that I could take my cat Coco to The Logies’, Sam said at the time.

Sam also confirmed Coco’s death in a separate post on Instagram, sharing a photo of himself holding the cat’s paws at the animal hospital.

He said his former roommate Ally Mansell and good friend Dr Chris Brown ‘dropped everything’ to be by his side because his girlfriend Rebecca James was in Melbourne at the time.

Farewell: Sam also confirmed Coco’s death in a separate post on Instagram, sharing a photo of himself holding the cat’s paws at the animal hospital

‘It’s something I’ll be forever grateful for. It honestly meant the world to me,’ he said.

‘We smothered Coco in pats and kisses and told her how loved she was. I told her how proud I was of all her work over the years spreading the message and raising funds for rescue animals.

‘We held her little paws tight all the way through. It was heartbreaking and it was beautiful. She was the centre of attention right til the end, exactly what she would’ve wanted (demanded).’

‘Thank you to Ashley and the team at @sash_vets for handling today with such dignity, empathy & patience,’ he added.

‘I’ll post some fun photos of Coco in the coming days, because that’s how I want her to be remembered. The sweet little rescue cat who made us smile. Even though she couldn’t herself.’

Love: ‘We held her paws tight all the way through. It was heartbreaking and it was beautiful. She was the centre of attention right til the end, exactly what she would’ve wanted,’ Sam said