From cat-astrophe to miracle return

By Danielle Galvin
TONKA and Truck’s tree change adventure finished recently with the two roaming kitty cats being returned to their home in Pakenham.
In a Milo and Oatis style adventure, the two brothers went missing after moving with their family from Glen Waverley in early 2011.
In May last year, Tonka went missing and around Christmas, while his brother Truck set sail looking for a life beyond suburban Pakenham.
Jade Lee, owner of the cats, reckons she should buy a lottery ticket.
Three weeks ago, Truck was brought into a veterinary clinic in Rowville after he’d been found in Emerald. Last week, Tonka turned up at a Pakenham vet after being found injured at Pakenham Secondary College.
“Truck was hit by a car in Emerald,” Jade said.
“There were lots of tears – we knew he’d been hit by a car and had cuts and bruises.”
But Truck was fighting fit and the family were thrilled to see their adventurous cat after months on the road.
“Last week, Tonka had been found at Pakenham High School,” Jade said.
“It was amazing to also get him back just weeks after Truck was found.”
Jade says Truck had been well-fed and well-looked after in Emerald.
“When we first got Truck back, someone had clearly been feeding him and he was a bit fat,” she said.
“He had put on a ton of weight and was in quite a lot of pain.”
Tonka and Truck have since been causing a bit of trouble back home.
“The other cats have been hissing at them and have been a bit territorial,” she said.
“I think they think ‘hey you’ve been gone for ages,’ so the other cats are getting used to them again.”
While the cheeky cats are struggling to stay inside, they are enjoying the attention from their loving owners.
“They are very happy to be back, but they are originally bush cats,” Jade said.
“Tonka and Truck lived with me in Swan Hill where we had mice plagues.”
It’s still a mystery how Truck managed to travel from Pakenham to Emerald, but Jade says it shows how important micro-chipping is.
“The vet said he might have climbed into someone’s ute,” she said.
“Perhaps in a truck or car engine he’d climbed up and gone to sleep, that’s what the vet said might have happened.”
Jade says it’s “wonderful” to have Tonka and Truck reunited and back where they belong.
“It’s wonderful – we thought they were dead, it’s sort of a miracle,” she said.