PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A family from Fountain, Florida, has been reunited with their cat, Tiny Tim, three months after he went missing. The family had almost lost hope until a segment on NewsChannel7’s Shelter Spotlight led to his discovery.
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In June, Tonya Hatcher’s family went on vacation and chose a cat sitter through Facebook after their usual sitter was unavailable. Upon returning, they found the sitter had not looked after Tiny Tim.
During a recent broadcast of Shelter Spotlight, Hatcher’s sister recognized Tiny Tim in a segment and learned that Bay County Animal Control had found him in a dumpster near a landfill.
“I didn’t even see the clip; I just saw the picture and I knew, I knew it was him, so I started crying,” Hatcher said. She quickly contacted the Bay County Animal Shelter just before they closed.
Hatcher noted Tiny Tim has a distinct bump on his side, a unique feature that confirmed his identity. The shelter confirmed the match based on her description.
The circumstances surrounding how Tiny Tim ended up in a dumpster 50 minutes away from home remain unclear, but the family is overjoyed to have him back. Hatcher is also offering a $500 reward for the safe return of her other lost cat, Sassy, encouraging anyone with information to email her.