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WARNING: Distressing content
A “wicked” act against a stolen pet cat has been slammed by RSPCA WA, with those responsible now wanted on criminal charges.
Tiger Tim had been missing from his home in Inglewood, in Perth’s inner-city, for two weeks when he was finally found dead in the Swan River with a brick tied around his neck.
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The body of the four-year-old tabby male was discovered by a member of the public in the river at Bayswater about 6pm on Thursday 24 August. They reported the discovery to rangers, who attended the scene to retrieve him.
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The cat was checked for a microchip at the vet, and RSPCA then went to his home in Inglewood to tell his family.
The first thing RSPCA inspector Hayley Wirth saw when she arrived was a lost cat poster in the windows of his owner’s car.
“He had been missing for two weeks and they’d been desperately searching for him,” Wirth said.
The family was “distraught” when they learned how Tiger Tim had been found.
Tiger Tim had been missing for two weeks when the beloved cat’s body was found in the Swan River with a brick tied around his neck. Credit: Supplied
The beloved family pet went missing from Tenth Ave in Inglewood, more than five kilometres from where he was found.
“Someone has deliberately driven Tiger Tim to this location, tied a brick to his neck and thrown him in the river,” Wirth said.
The thought of how terrified and distraught Tiger Tim must have been through the ordeal is heartbreaking, she said.
“What a wicked, cowardly and callous thing to do to such a defenceless, well-loved creature,” she said.
“Tiger Tim was an important member of his family and will be sadly missed.”
A ‘serious criminal offence’
Tiger Tim’s death is a “serious criminal offence”, Wirth said.
Anyone with information in relation to Tiger Tim’s death is asked to contact RSPCA WA through its 24-hour Cruelty Hotline on 1300 278 358 or online at rspcawa.org.au.
There is no CCTV footage available of the jetty where Tiger Tim was found, but the area is popular with local pet owners.
The maximum penalty for an animal cruelty conviction is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison.
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