Moment missing cat's remarkable 15-mile journey beneath car ends in the unlikeliest place — an animal centre
Four-year-old Olaf had been missing for four days before being spotted
A missing indoor cat who slipped out of his home was found 15 miles away after hitching a ride underneath a neighbour’s car – to an animal centre.
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Four-year-old Olaf had been missing for four days before he was reunited with his owner thanks to his microchip.
Described as “a scaredy-cat” who is “afraid of his own shadow”, Olaf was seen tumbling from the vehicle when the driver arrived at work.
He had apparently climbed underneath the car near his home in Braintree, Essex, and stayed there until Abigail Harrison arrived at the Cats Protection Essex Cat Centre in Galleywood, around 15 miles away.
Olaf was then placed safely in a carrier and given a clean bill of health by a vet, before his microchip revealed his owner was 55-year-old Hazel Ohler.
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Ms Harrison, who is deputy manager of the Cats Protection Essex Cat Centre, said Olaf was "understandably a bit skittish" when he was found.
She said a colleague who arrived in the car park shortly after her spotted that the cat had fallen from the car.
"It all happened so quickly," Ms Harrison said.
“He must have climbed under the bonnet or wheel arch near my home and fallen asleep.
“I had driven all that way with this poor cat trapped under my car.
"I even stopped for petrol on the way, but he didn’t budge. That probably saved him from far worse than a few oil stains.”
The deputy manager said the incident served as a stark reminder for pet owners.
“Olaf’s story demonstrates the value of microchips and keeping your contact details up to date, even for indoor cats,” she said.
“We were able to quickly find details for his owners and reunite them.
“When they came to collect him, Olaf immediately perked up and was clearly relieved to be with his family again.
“If he hadn’t been chipped, it is doubtful that the family would have seen him again.”
Ms Ohler said her pet Olaf is an indoor-only cat who had slipped out and gone missing four days earlier.
“Essentially, he’s an indoor cat and has only rarely been in our garden under my supervision,” she said.
“Olaf is a scaredy-cat who can be afraid of his own shadow so this must have been so traumatic for him.
“I was beside myself with worry.
“We did everything we could to find him, putting up posters, sharing appeals on social media, and even having a search party checking garages and gardens.
“I left his litter tray outside and put out food and a blanket from my bed in the hope he’d pick up the scent.
“But as each day passed without sign of him, I started to lose hope.
“I couldn’t believe it when Cats Protection called to say they had found him safe and well – especially when I learned how he had ended up miles from home, trapped under a car.”
Ms Ohler said it was “incredible that he picked that particular car to take a nap in”.
“I am so grateful to the team at Cats Protection for taking good care of their unexpected visitor and returning him to us so quickly,” she said.
“If he hadn’t landed on the doorstep of Cats Protection, I dread to think what might have happened to him.”