Fears for animals left in care of pet sitter who had a stroke and forgot their whereabouts

A search is on for a cat and dog in the inner west of Sydney, Australia, who may have spent at least five days without food and water, after their carer suffered a stroke. The man named Tim, who was caring for the pets while their owners were away on holidays was taken to hospital on Boxing Day and is unable to remember where the animals live.



Two hundred volunteers hit the streets of Summer Hill on Monday evening, while thousands more people took to Facebook to help find the pets. A Shoalhaven police inspector confirmed the sitter, known as Tim, could not communicate the address of the home where at least one cat and dog are confined, or the owners’ names.

The stroke victim’s son Sean initially believed the pets’ owners were from the Summer Hill area but the elderly man has communicated parts of the location believed to be in Haberfield. At least one cat and one dog are believed to have gone without food or water for at least five days. It is believed the pet owners, in their 50s, were planning to spend two weeks on the New South Wales south coast.



Local vets have been alerted and volunteers have established a Facebook group to co-ordinate a door knock of the area and surrounding suburbs. "Best case scenario is that these animals are outdoor animals or have access to outdoor areas which means with this rain there is hopefully going to be some water sources around for them," said Tara Britton from Summer Hill Vet Practice.

With news video.