A cat has made an incredible journey spanning 170 miles from Liverpool to Bristol hiding in the engine of a van. Zetland Vetinary Group is trying to reunite the cat, who vets predict is between 12 to 14 weeks old, with his owner after he was brought to the practice in Redland on Thursday (July 28).
Miacarlla Harrison, who works at Parcelforce in Bristol, told BristolLive how one of the company's drivers discovered the kitten hiding in the engine of a van he was picking up in the Haydock area of Liverpool. After he was discovered during the obligatory vehicle checks, the team managed to encourage him out and they brought him into the office.
Ms Harrison explained: "Once I found a vet that was willing to look after him I got one of my drivers to take him down to get him checked over. He was very scared initially as he obviously didn't know where he was and he had probably just fallen asleep in there and then all of a sudden there's hands and faces that he doesn't recognise trying to get hold of him. Once he was in the office though he had a little run around doing backflips off the wall so I nicknamed him 'Taz' after the Tasmanian devil."
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The cat, who has cream and brown markings and is believed to be a ragdoll breed, was taken to Zetland Veterinary Group on Thursday evening to be assessed by a vet and checked for a microchip. Because the male kitten is too young to be chipped this makes the possibility of a reunion more difficult.
Vikki Flynn, a student veterinary nurse at the practice, said: "He's quite underweight and he was a bit dehydrated when he came in last night as well. We found ear mites in his ears and they were really dirty and he is showing signs of cat flu. He's not in tip top condition but considering he's been under a van bonnet he's been quite lucky."
His condition does suggest he might be a feral cat, Ms Flynn explained, but fortunately, he's tested negative for the feline virus. The vet's mission right now is to try and locate the owner if he has one, but if no one goes forward then the practice will look into adoption with a local rescue centre.
"We need to give it a bit more time to potentially reach the owner, probably for about seven days and then we will look to rehome him," she added. Ms Flyn said her team had never experienced anything like this before with an animal travelling such a long distance."
She continued: "We do reunite cats quite often with their owners who have been missing for months and years, which is why it's so important to microchip your cat. That's how we're able to reunite them. It's not a legal requirement but we do reunite strays on a weekly to monthly basis."
The nurses are still trying to think of a name for him while they wait to see if anyone comes forward to claim him.
You can contact Zetland Veterinary Hospital on 0117 944 5111 if you think the kitten might be yours, although the practice will require proof that he is yours
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