A 46-year-old man from the US has drowned after he jumped out of his canoe to retrieve his cat, which had decided to go for a swim.

William Anderson, two of his friends and the feline were on West Loon Lake in the US state of Illinois on Monday evening (local time) when the pet went into the water, The Chicago Tribune reported.

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Mr Anderson leapt into the lake after it, capsizing the canoe in the process, thereby plunging his friends, Richard Axtell, 45, and Lisa Gossard, 46, into the water as well.

The cat’s owner never emerged from the water. His body was found by divers at midnight.

His feline and two surviving friends were rescued by a nearby boat.

The three canoers were drinking alcohol and had not fitted the safety vests in the boat, police told local media.