General News
21 August, 2025
One cat's tale of survival
When Dale, a cat belonging to Morgan and Peta McGregor from Tasmania, disappeared from a caravan park in Horsham and into a paddock, his owners thought it was the last they would see of their feline friend.
But what followed was a cat's "pawsome" tale of survival and – spoiler! – the "purrr-fect" fairytale ending with Dale and his owners reunited across Bass Strait.
Taylah, the daughter of Horsham Caravan Park owners Chris and Kirston Johnson, sparked the interest of a Wimmera Mallee News journalist after posting about the animal being found in June, seeking options to get the cat back to its owners.
Dale's family had been relocating from Western Australia to Tasmania and booked into the caravan park the night before boarding the ferry Spirit of Tasmania.
Dale was one of three cats and two dogs meant to make the trip with the McGregors.
But the cheeky feline wasn't ready to bid farewell to the inland yet and snuck out the door at night and into the depths of the shadows.
"Morgan and Peta went out looking the night he disappeared, calling his name and with food, trying to find him, but there were no signs of him," Ms Johnson said.
"The owners slept with the exterior door open hoping he'd come home, but he didn't.
"As he was usually an outside cat they thought he would be safe but, being in Horsham, he wouldn't have known how to find his way back to the owners.
'They cried, thinking he was long gone."
With the family reluctantly continuing their trip, Ms Johnson, her mum and the cleaner from the park, Janet, decided they would do their best to find Dale so they set up cat traps with dim sims and a few other tasty treats inside.
And after a couple of weeks, after Janet heard meowing, Dale was found contained in one of the traps.
"We were so happy and relieved," Ms Johnson said.
"And so excited to tell the owners.
"Morgan said she had just come to terms that she would never see him again so she couldn't believe it."
Ms Johnson FaceTimed the owners and said it was emotional seeing how appreciative they were.
A quick trip to the supermarket meant Dale had everything he needed (food and toys) for a comfortable stay until Ms Johnson and her mum could work out how to reunite cat and owners.
"He was extremely happy to be enjoying human interaction again," Ms Johnson added.
Dale enjoyed luxury for the next couple of days, housed in one of the cabins at the park (complete with a heater for warmth and entertainment from the TV), until a good samaritan collected him and gave him a ride to the airport.
"He certainly lived and slept in luxury until he could be picked up and taken to Melbourne to be put on a flight," Ms Johson laughed.
From there, Dale made the flight to Tasmania.
A video shared with Wimmera Mallee News of Dale upon his reunion with Mr and Mrs McGregor showed the extremely happy black-and-white cat perched on Mrs McGregor's shoulder as she showered him in kisses and pats.
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