A black cat who was "thrown away like rubbish" has been named Stig of the Dump after miraculously surviving a 50-mile trip in a bin lorry to a Buckinghamshire landfill site.
A young black cat was found earlier this month by a bin worker in Milton Keynes at a landfill site in the Buckinghamshire city.
The cat appeared to have travelled 50 miles from London to the disposal site and had suffered a severe injury to one of his legs, which had to be amputated.
It is unclear whether the animal was thrown into a pile of rubbish somewhere in London or had somehow climbed into the refuse collection.
The unusual circumstances of the discovery prompted the cat's rescuers to name him Stig of the Dump, after the character in Clive King's children's book about a boy who becomes friends with a caveman living in a tip.
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A spokesperson for the RSPCA said it was also unclear whether the injury to Stig's leg was a result of travelling in "a vehicle capable of crushing items to 90 per cent of their original size" or if it was the reason he had been dumped.
They added: "What's important is that he is now safe and receiving the medical attention he deserves."
With no microchip or distinct markings, it has not been possible to trace where Stig came from, but he is now being looked after by a foster family in Milton Keynes.
It will be compulsory for all cats to be microchipped from June 10 of this year following a change to the law.
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