‘The Voice’: Blake Shelton Lied About Having a Dead Cat to Woo Singer

Blake Shelton pulled out all his tricks to win a singer on The Voice, even joking about the death of an imaginary cat.

Shelton knew he was in over his head during Celia Babini’s recent blind audition performance. It was clear that he would not be her first choice, so he went for a humorous appeal to emotion after Adam Levine’s convincing praise for her.

“I would like to piggyback on that. My cat died today,” Shelton said to some awkward laughs. “This could really help brighten my day up.”

Fellow coach Kelly Clarkson chimed in, saying, “He doesn’t even have a cat!”

When questioned about the cat’s name, Clarkson interrupted to jokingly call the fictional cat “Sandy.” Shelton then leaned harder into the bit with the “Because of You” singer.

“You met Sandy!” Shelton said. “You know Sandy. That’s right! You knew Sandy!”

The plea was unsuccessful, and Babini joined Levine’s team. However, Shelton still referenced “Sandy” online, confusing some of his fans into thinking he had actually lost a real pet.

“I am dedicating tonight’s episode of @nbcthevoice to my beloved cat, Sandy,” Shelton wrote. “She was the light of my life. The yin to my yang. And she hated @adamlevine… We had a lot in common.”

Tons of the “Ol’ Red” singer’s fans then offered condolences, thinking he was mourning the loss of a pet.

“Hope You’re Feeling Better Cowboy, I’m So Sorry About Your Cat!” one fan wrote. “R.I.P. Love To The Cowboy!”

Another wrote, “Aaawww Rip Babe.Blake Shelton I’m sure [your] Cat is right there next to u watching The Voice…we love ya meow.”

Country Living does point out that Shelton appears to have a cat named Dave, based on Instagram posts. However, it’s pretty clear that Sandy was purely imagination.

The Voice airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Photo Credit: Trae Patton/NBC