A cat missing from the Highlands since Hogmanay has returned home after being found 130 miles away in a skip at a Perth recycling yard.
The travelling tabby – named Ginger – was reported missing from Alness on December 31.
Owner Susan Low had posted pleas for sightings to be reported on social media and shared missing cat posters around Alness.
Twenty days later, two-year-old Ginger’s family were beginning to give up that Ginger, who usually comes home every morning, would return.
Shock phone call
Susan said: “We live relatively close to a quarry, so that was our first place to check but he wasn’t there.
“My son Ewan, it’s his cat, but obviously we were all really upset.
“We’ve been out searching daily and had posters out, and the vets shared it on their social media.”
But Susan was stunned on Friday when she received a surprise phone call saying Ginger may have been found in Perth.
Staff at Shore Recycling in the Fair City had found an orange-haired cat as they emptied a skip filled with electrical waste.
The skip had travelled from ILM Highland in Alness, prompting quick-thinking administration manager Suzanne Westwood to contact the firm and ask if they were aware of any missing pets locally.
A staff member recognised the description from posts on social media and was able to contact Susan.
Missing cat lost half his body weight
Shore Recycling staff took Ginger to Tay Valley Vets, who were able to confirm it was him by scanning his microchip.
Susan added: “I couldn’t believe it but because he is microchipped the vet could check.”
Ginger was very poorly and had lost more than half of his body weight, but had not suffered serious injury during the two-and-a-half hour road trip.
He responded well to treatment and the next day Susan travelled to Perth with son Ewan, 12, and daughter Emma, aged nine, to collect him.
Ginger is now recovering well at home, although it is expected he will need around a month to full recuperate.
‘Incredible’ missing cat turned up in Perth
Susan added: “He is doing incredibly considering what he has been through, he had no real injuries apart from being so thin after not being fed.
“It’s quite incredible. I still can’t believe he made it to Perth and back.”
Susan says it shows the value of microchipping and urged other owners to consider it.
She also thanked staff at Shore Recycling: “I cannot thank them enough.
“We sent biscuits and a thank you card down.
“It’s amazing. Without them he wouldn’t have survived.”