Stowaway Cat Was Finally Brought Back Home After Her 1600 Miles Trip Around Australia

P-Puss accidentally got into a van headed for a city 700 miles away but there's, fortunately, a happy ending to this ordeal

Damjan

• Published in Animal Stories
• June 4, 2020

Curiosity caused a lot of problems for one cat from Longreach when she accidentally got into a truck headed for the city 700 miles away. The adventurous cat lives with her family in the central-west Queensland town, and her owner Georgia Whip first noticed her cherished kitty (named P-Puss) could be missing after it didn't come in on an especially cold outback night. She had no idea about the adventure her cat was embarking on…

Ms. Whip said her neighbors moved out and left on Friday at about 9:00 pm. "At 9:30 pm [my husband] Toby went to put the cats to bed ... and I thought that was a bit strange [that P-Puss did not come in] because it was so cold." 

When P-Puss failed to show up for breakfast the next day and, Ms. Whip's heart sank for her beloved cat. "I was wondering if she did get into the truck because she gets into cars if someone's parked out the front and left their windows down," she says.

The first message from the movers said that there was no sign of P-Puss in their cargo, but at 3:30 pm on Sunday, they've received a message that the cat had been found.

P-Puss went to Brisbane, Rockhampton, Emerald and returned to Longreach in just over a week

However, their celebration was interrupted:

"Half an hour later I got a call saying she'd escaped the container," Ms Whip says.

"She was loose in Brisbane, in their depot.

"I freaked out."

The cat was wondering the depo, triggering motion sensor all though the night.

On the second night, the warehouse security was sent to the depot with the goal to catch P-Puss.

After a couple of hours of playing cat and mouse, the fugitive was apprehended – which made the payroll manager Agnes Stobie very happy.

"I was happy to go to work on Tuesday because I love animals," she says.

"I'd brought some cat food, which was great because she didn't like the sausages they were trying to feed her. I think that P-Puss' first life is gone but she was none the worse for it on Wednesday, she was quite at home in the accommodation block."

Loz Batley is the head of Central Queensland Animal Society in Rockhampton.

When she spotted a post about Ms. Whip's predicament on Facebook, she immediately took action and arranged a pickup for P-Puss some 400 miles away.

"I've got a lot of connections in Brisbane, so I thought I can probably help out here," Ms. Batley says.

Through her grid of associates, Ms. Batley was able to organize a transfer for P-Puss to Emerald, where she was handed to a friend for the final leg home over the Capricorn Highway.

"I didn't think we'd see her again after she escaped in Brisbane," Ms. Whip says.

"I'm really happy she's back and so thankful for everyone who's helped get her back to Longreach. I can't believe it's a happy ending."

Damjan