Family ‘distraught’ after missing pet found drowned: ‘Tied a brick to his neck’
Rangers were shocked when they removed the cat from the water to find he had been deliberately killed.
WARNING — GRAPHIC IMAGES: An Aussie family is “distraught” after their missing pet cat was found dumped in a river with a brick tied around his neck.
The Perth family had been desperately searching for the four-year-old tabby male named Tiger Tim for weeks before his lifeless body was tragically spotted by a member of the public in the Swan River on Thursday night.
Rangers were called to the scene but couldn’t see the cat against the jetty because it was too dark and returned the next morning to retrieve him, RSPCA WA said.
As they removed him from the water, the City of Bayswater workers were horrified to discover Tiger Tim had been deliberately drowned using a red brick attached to his neck with a cord.
Family 'distraught' over cat's death
RSPCA WA staff had the sad job of breaking the shocking news to Tiger Tim’s family after being alerted by a local vet who scanned the cat’s microchip.
“He had been missing for two weeks and they’d been desperately searching for him,” Inspector Hayley Wirth said, adding that the first thing she saw after arriving at the home was a ‘lost cat’ poster in the window of his owner’s car. “When I told them Tiger Tim had been killed, they were distraught as you can imagine.”
Inspector Wirth said the cat went missing from his home — over 5km from where his body was found.
“Someone had deliberately driven Tiger Tim to this location, tied a brick to his neck and thrown him into the river,” Inspector Wirth said. “That is a serious criminal offence, and I am asking for the public’s help to find out who committed it.”
The maximum penalty for an animal cruelty conviction is five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
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Hunt for person responsible
With an investigation failing to uncover any CCTV footage of the crime, RSPCA WA is urging anyone who may have information to contact them. The area is popular with dog owners, and they are hoping “someone saw something of note”.
“What a wicked, cowardly and callous thing to do to such a defenceless, well-loved creature,” Inspector Wirth said. “Tiger Tim was an important member of his family and will be sadly missed.”
Anyone with information about Tiger Tim’s drowning should contact the RSPCA WA 24-hour Cruelty Hotline on 1300 278 358 or online at rspcawa.org.au.
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