The Perth family’s beloved pet cat, Tiger Tim, was ‘evilly’ killed after it was stolen, prompting an RSPCA investigation
- Warning: Disturbing images and content
- ‘Coward’ drowned cat in Perth’s Swan River
A family’s beloved pet has been stolen and drowned in a ‘barbaric’ act that has outraged the local community and sparked a hunt for the ‘coward’ responsible.
Tiger Tim, a four-year-old tabby male, was seen in the Swan River last Thursday after going missing from his home on Tenth Ave in Inglewood, Perth, in mid-August.
When RSPCA rangers found his body next to a jetty three miles from his home the next morning, they found a house stone tied around his neck.
That has led to a public plea for information to catch whoever is behind Tiger Tim’s death.
A family’s beloved pet has been stolen and drowned in a ‘barbaric’ act that has outraged the local community and sparked a hunt for the ‘coward’ responsible
When RSPCA rangers recovered Tiger Tim’s body from the Swan River, 5 km from his home, last Friday, they found a house stone tied around his neck.
RSPCA inspector Hayley Wirth (pictured) described the cat’s murder as ‘evil, cowardly and callous’ and urged the public to come forward with any information
“Someone deliberately drove Tiger Tim to this location, tied a rock around his neck and threw him into the river,” RSPCA superintendent Hayley Wirth said in an RSPCA statement.
“What a mean, cowardly, and callous thing to do to such a defenseless, beloved creature. Tiger Tim was an important member of his family and will be sadly missed.
“That’s a serious criminal offense and I’m asking for the public’s help in finding out who committed it.”
“Tiger Tim’s death is the fault of the perpetrator who committed a senseless and unlawful act of animal cruelty.”
After Ms. Wirth had the dead cat’s microchip checked, she went to his home address to break the bad news to his owners.
Then she saw a “lost cat” poster in the owner’s car.
The devastated owners had been desperately looking for him for two weeks.
The maximum penalty for an animal cruelty conviction is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison.
Although the council has no CCTV, the riverside area where Tiger Tim was found in Bayswater is well used, especially by local off-leash dog walkers.
It is also close to the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary.
“I hope someone saw something remarkable that they can pass on to our Cruelty Hotline,” Ms Wirth said.
On social media, animal lovers were devastated by the RSPCA’s report of Tiger Tim’s cruel end.
Tiger Tim, a beloved family pet, went missing from Inglewood, Perth in mid-August and was found drowned in the Swan River two weeks later
Tiger Tim was found last Friday next to a jetty, at the end of Memorial Drive, Bayswater
“I have no words other than to say how heartbroken the treatment of this precious animal has left me,” wrote a local woman.
“How utterly barbaric,” said another.
“I hope whoever did this is found and held accountable.”
Anyone with information is requested to contact the RSPCA WA 24-hour Cruelty Hotline on 1300 278 358 or online at rspcawa.org.au.