A Tauranga, New Zealand, family experienced inexplicable sorrow during the month of May after their beloved house cat, Tim, went missing. Unbeknownst to his family, Tim the tabby cat snuck into the back of a truck that was transporting rubbish to the local dump.

“As they were unloading the rubbish they saw something moving, and it was Tim,” said Tim’s owner, Penny, “”He must have crept in there when we were putting the rubbish in.”

Cats are known to be curious creatures, though this expedition turned out to be much scarier than Tim was likely expecting it to be. No one noticed Tim climbing into the truck as it started up and headed off to the dump yard.

Once the truck had arrived at the dump, the doors were opened, and Tim ran out at full speed. Drivers of the truck, unaware of their little stowaway, were shocked when the handsome tabby came jetting out of the truck and into the depths of the dump pit.

“All of a sudden, Tim leapt out. A little frightened, he ran off a bit before stopping to hear them calling him, but by the time they reached him, he had jumped into the pit and took off.” – Penny Scutt

The truck driver immediately returned to the family home to tell of their recent adventure and informed Tim’s mom, Penny, of his disappearance. Scutt immediately went down to the dump to search for Tim, but he was nowhere to be found.

Desperate for his return, the Scutt family searched the dump high and low. They pinned up missing posters all over town, recruited workers at the dump yard to be part of the search crew, and blasted news of his disappearance on social media. The dump was fourteen kilometers from the family home, and, after weeks of searching, the family began to feel hopeless.

“He would be loving this attention. He means so much to us. We are just hoping we can find him so that he can come back home.” – Penny Scutt

Nearly two months after his disappearance, Scutt received word from a colleague that a cat very similar to Tim’s description had been spotted. Hesitant but hopeful, Tim’s mom went out to the location described. She wasn’t sure what to expect; after all, this wasn’t the first time that a possible lead had turned out to be just another dead end.

Scutt got out of her car at the location and began calling Tim’s name. To her complete shock, Tim came bounding out of nearby bushes and ran right into her arms!

Tim began purring loudly once he was safe in mom’s arms, while Scutt began shaking in a state of shock and delight. She tried to remain calm as she drove her baby boy home but could not contain her excitement. As soon as she pulled into the driveway, the entire family ran out to welcome home their beloved cat.

As he settled in for a nap, the family members took turns checking in on him as if he were a newborn baby, said Scutt. Tim appeared healthy at the time of his rescue, but Scutt assured followers that he would be taken to the vet for a full check-up just to be sure.

Welcome home, Tim!