Warm end to sad tale of Rupert the pet cat

A New Plymouth cat lover got the chance to say a proper goodbye to her beloved pet after its unfortunate death - because the pound had it in the freezer for longer than usual.

Jane Chapman was distraught when black cat, Rupert, went missing on February 1.

Despite 13-year-old Rupert not returning the next morning Chapman was still positive he would.

But when the following day there was still no sign of Rupert, a search began.

After two weeks she discovered Rupert was no more and his body had been collected by New Plymouth District Council contractors. Chapman called up in the hope of getting him back.

‘‘I lost hope again because he said they only keep them for one week.’’

After contacting the pound on Sunday, Chapman was delighted to discover Rupert’s body was still in the freezer. ‘‘I was unbelievably overwhelmed and I think it’s a miracle because they only kept them for a week and it had been two-anda-half. Who knows why he was still there.’’

Her son Barton picked Rupert up and the family had him cremated on Tuesday.

‘‘We shed some tears when he came home from the pound.

‘‘They become part of your family, so we’ve been able to give him a send off.

‘‘I can let go now, I’ve got closure. Some people might think it’s silly but I don’t.’’

Cheryl McGrath, NPDC compliance lead, said when the council was notified of a dead cat contractors picked it up and dropped it off at the dog pound.

There the body is scanned for a microchip before being bagged and tagged with a description and where it was found.

The cat was then placed in the freezer for at least a week while attempts were made to find its family, McGrath said.

Cats can be microchipped and registered with vets or on the NZ Animal Companion Website www.animalregister.co.nz