Tipper the cat is the cat who, in July 1996, made international headlines by dialing 911 as it was choking, leading to its rescue by police.
Here is a news story about his disappearance:
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 1996 17:00:45 PST
From: C-upi@clari.net (UPI)
Subject: Phone-savvy cat feared abducted
Organization: Copyright 1996 by United Press International
TAMPA, Florida, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Rewards were posted Thursday for the
return of a missing housecat who made international headlines earlier
this year by dialing for emergency help while strangling on a flea
collar.
Tipper, a six-month-old gray and white shorthair, vanished from the
yard of his owner, Gail Curtis, on Tuesday.
The kitten gained worldwide attention in July by somehow dialing 911
as it was choking on a flea collar. Dubious dispatchers sent police
officers to the home, and Tipper was saved from choking.
Tipper vanished Tuesday from the Curtis' yard, ironically on the
woman's 37th birthday.
Roommate Kevin O'Donnell told the Tampa Tribune the cat could not
have simply escaped from his leash that was tethered to a stake while he
was away for 20 minutes.
``It was impossible for him to break that leash, and the stake was
still in the ground,'' O'Donnell said.
Curtis, who works as a gas station attendant, distributed fliers
throughout the neighborhood, offering a $50 reward for Tipper's return.
She said she would have to rely on her boyfriend to pay whoever returned
the errant cat, although her offer was matched by a local radio station.
Jack Espinosa, spokesman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's
Office, tried to allay Curtis' concerns with some optimism.
``Let's just hold tight, and as soon as he gets to a phone, he'll
call us,'' Espinosa told Curtis.