A CAT owner who feared the worst when her pet went missing for almost a month was amazed when it turned up in a quarry 25 miles away.
Sophie Brewer from Dorchester is baffled as to how Tigger ended up at the site in Swanage.
She was reunited with her beloved pet because he was electronically tagged.
A man who discovered the three-year-old silver tabby hiding in a crate took him to a vet who read Sophie’s details from the microchip in the cat.
Now Sophie is urging others to get their pets electronically tagged.
Sophie, 27, of Icen Way, said Tigger disappeared for three-and-a-half weeks before she heard he had been found.
She said: “I put posters up everywhere, visited animal rescue centres, looked at websites, and told the police and the council.
“I thought someone had taken him but it was also in my mind that he had been knocked over.
“But I couldn’t move on. I needed to know either way what had happened. He’s part of the family.”
Sophie, a primary school teacher, added: “Then out of the blue I receive a phone call from a vet in Swanage saying they had Tigger. I couldn’t believe it.”
She explained that a member of the Bissett family who works in the quarry discovered Tigger and took him to his parents’ home before he was taken to the vets.
Tigger has lost a lot of weight and is exhausted after his adventure but is otherwise fine.
Sophie said: “The people who took him in were lovely and I am so grateful to them.
“It’s almost unbelievable that Tigger’s back. I didn’t think I would ever see him again.
“I have no idea how he came to be so far away. He may have hitched a lift in a van or was taken by somebody and then dumped.”
She added: “Tigger can’t keep a collar on which is why I got him tagged.
“I would urge everyone to do it in case something like this happens. I wouldn’t have got him back otherwise.
“Also, if you come across a pet that looks lost it costs nothing to take them to the vets and have them scanned for a chip.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here