A Siamese cat that went missing in North Wales was found 290 miles away after apparently hitching a lift.
Villagers in Glan Conwy had searched in vain for two-year-old Ashley and hopes of finding her were disappearing fast. But she was discovered nine days later by a family dog in a garage in Essex.
Bobby the dog twice sniffed out the feline stowaway before she was caught and identified by her microchip.
Owner Dan Worsley then made a 580-mile round trip to collect Ashley and reunite her with his wife Val.
He said the couple were overjoyed to have her back home.
‘She recognised me straight away,’ he says. ‘She was purring like mad.’
Dan, 76, believes Ashley make a dash for it after getting locked in the bathroom on April 15. As cleaners had left the bathroom window open, it’s believed she jumped onto a hedge before falling to the ground 15ft below.
‘She had previously never shown any desire to go out,’ says Dan. ‘We put up posters, shared appeals on Facebook and the whole village joined in the search for her, for which we are very grateful. But when no one reported any sightings, we began to get a bit downhearted.’
On Sunday, April 24, Dan’s wife received a call from Karen Keeves in Tilbury, Essex. Karen, who is a volunteer with cat rehoming charity Pippa’s Army, told Dan that Ashley had been found by a homeowner in nearby North Stifford.
Carol Monk and her partner Allan found Ashley after their dog Bobby began scratching and crying by the garage as if to indicate something was inside.
‘The real hero of the story was Bobby, who twice located Ashley in her garage,’ says Dan. ‘The first time was on the Thursday. Carol rang Karen Keeves but by the time she arrived, Ashley had gone. They assumed she must be a local stray.
‘But on the Sunday, Bobby began barking again and this time Carol was able to retrieve Ashley from the garage. Karen came with her chip scanner and identified her as Ashley.’
Just how Ashley managed to make her way across North Wales, and down to southern England, remains a mystery. But Dan has a theory.
‘We live in a picturesque area with lots of Airbnbs,’ he says. ‘I can’t say for certain, but I imagine that perhaps holidaymakers from Essex were loading the car when Ashley decided to hide in the boot.
‘It’s just speculation, of course. But I would like to think it was an accident and not deliberate.’
Ashley’s ordeal was not quite over when she returned to Conwy. Yesterday she was taken to the vets for treatment to injuries received when she lept from the window.
It’s thought she was left with multiple cuts when landing on the hedge.
‘She’s getting lots of fuss,’ adds Dan.
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