You thought your morning commute was rough? Ford probably has you beat.
The brown tabby cat somehow found himself trapped behind the front air vent of a Ford Focus in England, according to an RSPCA press release.
Ford was likely trapped in these tight quarters for two days. The driver of the car, Steven Kane, realized the cat was caught up in the vehicle shortly after parking his car along the seafront of Clacton-on-Sea for a vacation. This means Ford the feline endured at least an 80-mile ride, from Kane’s origin point to this location, and could’ve been on a few more trips before being spotted.
After finding the cat behind the front bumper of his focus, the driver called RSPCA.
“The cat was trapped in the grille of the car and the driver was unsure how long he had been there or where he had come from. As the family had been driving around quite a lot on their holidays, from Stevenage to Clacton, he wasn’t sure where the cat may have hitched a ride during the last couple of days but the car had driven around 80 mile,” Lucy Brennan, the RSPCA employee who helped to free Ford, said in a statement.
Once Brennan was on the scene, she called an auto mechanic for assistance. The mechanic removed the car’s headlights and bumper to safely free the feline, who was luckily uninjured after his ordeal.
“He was very smelly and very hungry. The AA explained that even if the cat had been trapped when the motorist was driving the car, luckily the area he was in has no moving parts and doesn’t get hot when the engine is on. Having said that, it must have been quite an ordeal for poor Ford,” Brennan said.
Kane told the RSPCA that he has no idea how the tabby got into his hiding spot, but he is happy the cat is safe.
“I think we were all relieved he was rescued and my brother really wants to adopt him now,” Kane said.
It’s possible Ford could go home with Kane’s brother if no one claims him. Ford is currently resting up at the RSPCA, far from any moving parts, while the animal welfare group searches for his owner. Since Ford isn’t microchipped it is hard know if the tabby belonged to someone before his accidental hitchhiking session.
The RSPCA says if no one comes to claim Ford soon, they will get the feline rehomed. Ford’s wild ride is another reminder of why it is important to microchip your pets.
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“Microchipping your pet is vitally important in ensuring that if anything happens to them, if they are lost or stolen, or hit by a car, then they can be returned to you,” Brennan said. “Despite our best efforts to find an owner, the most reliable way to identify a cat is to have him or her microchipped.
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