Cat lost at rubbish dump found two months later

Monday, 13 June 2022

A cat who was accidentally taken to a Tauranga rubbish dump has been found safe and well almost two months later.

Tim the tabby got lost after he sneaked into the back of a truck that was transporting rubbish to the Maleme Street refuse station in the Tauranga suburb of Greerton.

Tim’s owner, Penny Scutt from Otūmoetai, appealed to the public to help find her cat after he’d jumped out of a truck-load of rubbish.

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“As they were unloading the rubbish they saw something moving, and it was Tim,” said Scutt. “He got a fright so had jumped out and ran into the pit.”

The dump is 14km from Tim’s house.

After Scutt told Stuff about Tim’s plight, she received dozens of calls from people who had spotted cats near the dump, but until now none of them were Tim.

Almost two months later, Scutt’s colleague said she had seen a tabby similar to Tim in Greerton near the dump over the weekend.

“I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but drove over there,” said Scutt. “I'd been to a few sightings with no luck, so I wasn't sure this time. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it was actually him. There were lots of happy tears. I called him twice and he came galloping towards me, meowing.”

Tim was found on Lincoln Terrace in Greerton, which is not far from the transfer station. Scutt said that he had lost some weight and was getting checked by the vet, but otherwise he seemed okay.

“He's lost a little weight but still looks very good,” said Scutt. “He's going for a check-up on Wednesday”

Scutt said the family were thrilled to have their beloved family cat back home.

“The kids are so happy, and Tim is too. He hasn’t stopped purring since he got home.”