A Washington State man was recently charged with a crime for trying to collect $20,000 worth of compensation from a car insurance company for his cat’s crash-related death that occurred back in 2009. The catch: the cat allegedly never existed, according to the state.

The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner said in a press release that the insurance carrier that received the claim, PEMCO, realized something was amiss after doing a Google image search for cats and finding images plastered all over the Web that were identical to one the man had submitted as evidence of his cat’s existence. A report from The Associated Press said that one of the photos the man had submitted was actually the first image that showed up on a Google image search for “white cat” and is also on the “Cat” Wikipedia page.

The man said that his cat, Tom, had cost $1,000 and had “been like a son to him,” which he felt warranted the $20,000 claims payment. PEMCO saw the situation differently and had originally offered him $50. After finding out that the cat never existed, they canceled the check.

Advice for Pet Owners with Legitimate Claims

While the Washington man didn’t actually have a pet in the car that was injured when he got into an accident, such a situation may be a reality for some unfortunate pet owners out there. And what they may not know is that their loss may be covered by auto insurance—either their own or the other driver’s.

If another driver crashes into you while you’ve got a pet in the car, any compensation for the loss (monetary or sentimental) could be covered by his or her property damage liability coverage.

If you cause the crash, however, it will only be covered if you’ve bought pet injury coverage or if your insurer automatically includes it. Collision coverage purchased through Progressive, for example, includes up to $1,000 worth of insurance for vet bills if the treatment is related to a car crash. Farmers similarly provides up to $600 worth of coverage when a policyholder purchases both comprehensive and collision in select states. Other insurers will add coverage for a small premium. Ask about your options when getting car insurance quotes during the shopping process, and ask about the details of what pet injury coverage does and doesn’t provide compensation for.