Missing deaf cat hitches a ride 170 miles from home

6 hours ago

Helen Burchell

News image — Quinn was rescued after being found near some bins at an A1 service station

Cat Attwell A close-up of the face of a white cat inside a carrier. The cat has bright blue eyes. The bars of the carrier are in front of the cat's face. — Quinn was rescued after being found near some bins at an A1 service station

A deaf cat that went missing six weeks ago has been found at a service station about 170 miles (274km) away from home after apparently hitching a ride.

Quinn, aged eight, disappeared from St Helens in Merseyside, despite rarely venturing outside her owner's garden.

It is thought she managed to get into a van or lorry and ended up at services on the A1 in Peterborough, where she was found on Thursday, yowling and scavenging near some bins.

The white cat was more than happy to have some warmth and attention before her owner was able to make the eight-hour round trip to reunite the beloved cat with her family.

Quinn has been totally deaf since birth, and her owners have had her since she was a kitten.

She had been kept indoors but recently discovered she could "tailgate" another of the family's cats through the microchip-operated cat flap, so was occasionally stranded outside.

Missing deaf cat hitches a ride 170 miles from home

"She developed a very loud yowl to alert us she wanted to come back in," said one of her owners.

"The neighbours would sometimes complain about the noise."

He thinks she managed to get out of the garden while a wall was being rebuilt and somehow found her way into a van or truck - "unless she's got a train pass or something we don't know about".

Jules Murray A man is holding a white cat. The man has short, brown hair and a beard. He is wearing a yellow T-shirt and blue jeans and is sitting on a sofa. — One of Quinn's owners made the eight-hour round trip on Sunday to collect the beloved family pet

Quinn's loud meowing alerted staff at the services to her presence.

Cat Attwell, who volunteers for the Facebook group Peterborough's Lost Pets and works at the services, managed to locate Quinn.

"I was calling her, but of course I didn't know she was deaf," she said.

"She was very nervous, but eventually she came to me and let me pick her up. She was so loving."

Quinn was later scanned and taken to be looked after by Jules Murray, one of the lost pets group's administrators.

Murray, who also volunteers at Woodgreen Pets Charity, said Quinn's rescue was "another story to show the importance of chipping your pets".

She said Quinn was the third cat she has been called out to at the A1 services.

"I think she got into the van, or even in the engine compartment, as she was quite grubby," Murray added.

"She's very vocal and very needy, but very much loved."

Speaking about microchips, Fiona Cooke, associate director of policy and impact at Woodgreen, said: "Even cats who rarely venture outdoors can go missing, but this tiny piece of technology can make an enormous difference in reuniting a lost pet with the people who love them."

She also stressed the importance of keeping details up to date.

Quinn's owner added: "I'm touched by the generosity and kindness shown by everyone who helped rescue her, and we are so happy to see our little Quinny again."