Family’s missing cat found drowned in Perth river

A Perth family has been rocked by an sickening act of animal cruelty labelled a “wicked” by investigators. Warning: Graphic content.

Warning – Graphic content

A cat has been found drowned with a brick tied to its neck.

The tragic discovery has rocked the cat’s owners in Perth. The unthinkable act of animal cruelty was labelled “wicked, cowardly and callous” by investigators.

Four-year-old tabby Tiger Tim was spotted in the Swan River in Bayswater by a passer-by at 6pm on Thursday, August 24.

City of Bayswater rangers went to the jetty at the end of Memorial Drive, but it was too dark to find the cat.

When they returned the next day, Tiger Tim was pulled from the water, where they found a brick had been tied around his neck.

Four-year-old tabby, Tiger Tim, was spotted in the Swan River last week. Picture: RSPCA WA

Picture: RSPCA WA

A local vet later found he was microchipped and called RSPCA WA.

RSPCA Inspector Hayley Wirth broke the news to the family, who had been frantically looking for their cat with a series of posters.

“He had been missing for two weeks, and they’d been desperately searching for him,” Insp Wirth said.

“When I told them Tiger Tim had been killed, they were distraught, as you can imagine.

“He went missing from Tenth Ave in Inglewood. That’s over five kilometres from where he was found.

The cat’s family had been searching for the loved pet. Picture: RSPCA WA

The area where the cat was found.

Insp said Tiger Tim was deliberately driven to the Bayswater location and killed using the grim method.

“That is a serious criminal offence, and I am asking for the public’s help to find out who committed it,” she lamented.

The maximum penalty for an animal cruelty conviction is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison.

According to investigators, the City of Bayswater has no CCTV footage, but the area near where Tiger Tim was found is popular with off-lead dog walkers.

“I’m hoping someone saw something of note they can pass on through our Cruelty Hotline,” Insp Wirth said.

She added that the cat would have met a terrifying end and labelled the ordeal “heartbreaking”.

“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.”

Anyone with information about Tiger Tim’s drowning is asked to contact the RSPCA WA 24-hour Cruelty Hotline on 1300 278 358 or online at rspcawa.org.au.