Bumper's feline lucky after ride under van

Published on Wednesday 24 September 2008 10:07

IT seems like an extreme way to get a cheap holiday.

But one mischievous cat seemed so determined to get to the seaside, he travelled there by clinging to the underside of a camper van.

The male tabby, who has been nicknamed Bumper, clung on all the way from Muirhouse to North Berwick – a journey of around 30 miles.

East Lothian vets were called when the vehicle owner, who has since continued his drive south on holiday, spotted a tail protruding from underneath the bumper at the front of the van.

And although the cat was doused in diesel and extremely scared, he was completely uninjured after the 45-minute ordeal.

Now the vets at the Haddington branch of the Links Vet Group where he was taken want to trace Bumper's no doubt increasingly anxious owner.

The ageing camper van set off from the holidaymaker's Muirhouse View home at around 3pm on Monday.

It is believed it was at this point that the cat crawled under and nestled under the bumper.

Vet nurse Jennifer Jones said Bumper was lucky to still be alive. "When you consider how long he must have been holding on for it's pretty amazing, because that would have included going along the bypass probably at a considerable speed," she said.

"One of the vets, Francis Bakker, was called out because the owner thought he had knocked it over and it was stuck under because he could see the tail.

"But when we got him in and examined him, apart from being covered in diesel and shocked there were no signs of injury."

The vets now want the owner to come forward so they can return him home and not keep him in the surgery where he has been since his ordeal.

Ms Jones added: "We think it is highly unlikely that he is a stray because he is well fed and very friendly.

"We have had cases before of cats escaping in vehicles before. There was a kitten who climbed into a car engine once from underneath and travelled from Gifford to Haddington, but unfortunately had to be put down because the burns were so bad. It is fairly common for cats to crawl into removal vans when people aren't looking, and it's not always the cat belonging to the people moving."

She said it highlighted the importance of having cats microchipped.

"That is something we always try to get across because in cases like this owners could be contacted immediately," she pointed out.

Anyone who thinks the cat may be theirs should contact the surgery on 01620 823723.