The tale of Russell's disappearing cats has had a happy ending for two of the missing moggies, found emaciated but alive after being stuck in a hole for a more than a month.
The vet treating the rescued cats is amazed by their survival and says they could not have held out much longer without food or water.
At least five felines have vanished in the town in recent months. Combined with air gun injuries sufffered by two pets, the disappearances sparked fears that a serial cat killer was on the loose.
Two of the missing pets, Oscar and Quinn, were found "very skinny, dehydrated and hungry" on Sunday. It appeared the cats had been scrapping when they fell into a gap between three water tanks. The space was so narrow one cat was forced to sit on top of the other for more than a month.
Extensive searches had been carried out but they were found only when a new tenant at the property heard meowing.
Russell resident Mal Browning said he was able to reach into the gap and grab Oscar, a Burman his partner had owned since it was a kitten, but he needed a fishing net to rescue the other cat. Both had lost half their body weight and were badly dehydrated.