Hmmm... Sorry re poor cat's demise but definitely never believed owner's story. I passed their pitch in Covent Garden often and the cat was basically, off it's tits.
Quite honestly you could have said this about my old cat Smoky if you'd seen him.
I once saw him outside lying on his back, legs akimbo being messed around by 5 school children, he just couldn't care less. This was quite normal for him.