Bondi Junction Vet gives cat, named Tara, to wrong owner

‘Pet detectives’ have been called in to hunt for a beloved pet cat named Tara, who became a mistaken identity case when a Bondi vet gave her to the wrong owner five days ago.

As time runs out to find a precious pet cat named Tara, who went missing on Sunday after a Sydney vet gave her to the wrong owner, professionals have been called in to lead the search.

‘Arthur & Co Pet detectives’ were hired to find Tara on Thursday, joining a huge community effort to find her.

That’s according to a community Facebook post posted by a friend of the owner, Katie Matthews, who has been unable to look for her pet herself as she is overseas.

It comes as Bondi Junction Vet — the veterinary hospital which lost Tara — has been sending out search parties in a desperate effort to find her. It reported its phone line runs have run hot with angry calls to the distress of devastated staff.

Tara has been missing since Sunday. Photo: Facebook

Tara has a round silver tag that says ‘my name is Tara’. Picture: Facebook

The vet revealed on Tuesday a member of staff “gave the wrong cat to the mother of the owner of another tortoiseshell cat”.

The devastating news, posted on their official Facebook page, continued: “She was not familiar with her daughter’s cat and so did not recognise it and took her home. Then when a neighbour in Castlefield St Bondi dropped by and said it wasn’t the right cat, little Tara escaped into the back garden and jumped the fence.

https://www.facebook.com/arthurandcopetconcierge/photos/a.115869765679541/1125966644669843/

“We have signs and cat traps out there and we are actively looking for her. We would ask you all for your help. It was a human error and staff involved are very upset as we love and live for the pets in our care. Please let us know if you see her”.

The concerned owner Katie Matthews posted on a Facebook community page also pleading with anyone to let her know if they see Tara, exclaiming: “Bondi Junction vets hospital have lost my cat!”

“She is grey with a ginger splodge on her face,” she wrote. “She can be friendly but is afraid of strangers. She was let out around 11 (at) Castlefield St Bondi … her collar is now different – it has her name ‘Tara’ in diamantés and a round silver tag that says ‘my name is Tara’.

Ms Matthews went on to say she and her dad were both on holidays and asked anyone with information to call or message the vet.

Bondi Junction Veterinary Hospital. Photo: Bianca Healey.

A senior member of staff at Bondi Junction Veterinary Hospital earlier told the Wentworth Courier it had been working tirelessly to locate the tortoiseshell tabby.

The staff member said the veterinary hospital had received angry phone calls from people about the mistake, including a death threat directed at a receptionist, which is why she asked not to share her name.

The staff member said the young vet who made the mistake was mortified and deeply upset about the error. The vet had been working day and night since the cat swap occurred, including sending staff members search parties out the area, calling “every vet in the eastern suburbs”, putting up laminated signs in the area, and looking into a sniffer dog.

She said while the mixup was undeniably “a mistake,” all staff were given a high level of training and the vet – which opened in the area in 1934 – had a large list of longtime clients.

The vet said she hoped the attention the sad story was getting could be used for good, and implored anyone in the area to keep their eyes peeled for the lost cat.