Tauranga power cut after cat climbed onto switchgear

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A wayward pussycat has been blamed for a power outage which affected nearly 10,000 households in Tauranga on Wednesday night.

Power was cut to almost 10,000 Powerco customers about 7.20pm after a cat climbed on to outdoor electrical switchgear at the Otumoetai substation.

The Greerton, Otumoetai, Matua and Bethlehem areas were affected by the outage.

Powerco acting network operations manager Dean Stevenson said all power was restored by 8.25pm.

The cat did not survive the incident.

Powerco acting corporate affairs manager Krysti Wetton said there was no information about where the cat had come from.

"Powerco is taking this matter seriously and is investigating how the cat entered the substation," she told the Bay of Plenty Times.

"The company does have measures in place aimed at preventing animals, such as birds, possums and cats, coming into contact with its electricity network."