Ringo the kitten survives 55-mile journey in van’s engine

A tiny five-week-old kitten had a lucky escape after surviving an epic journey ride from Liverpool along two motorways.
Ringo the kitten. Image: RSPCARingo the kitten. Image: RSPCA
Ringo the kitten. Image: RSPCA

The stowaway kitten clung to the undercarriage of the vehicle for more than an hour after it climbed into the transit van on Monday morning.

Driver Dwayne Ofoeme, travelled from the Aigburth area of Liverpool before noticing meowing coming from the engine once he arrived in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.

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The telecoms engineer and his two work colleagues tried unsuccessfully to catch the cat, which kept darting between the chassis and the undercarriage.

So they called the RSPCA for help and Inspector Jackie Hickman attended the scene.

How was Ringo caught?

After more than an hour, Ms Hickman finally managed to catch the oil-soaked feline after putting her hand inside from the top of the engine and coaxing him with a packet of cat food.

The kitten, which has since been named Ringo after The Beatles drummer, weighed just 1.3lbs, and is now in the care of the RSPCA.

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Mr Ofoeme said: “We’d travelled down the M62 and the M6 and we’d got out to start work.

“We immediately heard meowing and thought it was just a cat under the van.

“I then got underneath to see exactly where the noise was coming from and spotted a kitten, I couldn’t believe it.

“He was really scared and I tried for a long time to try and reach him but he just wouldn’t come out, so we decided to call the RSPCA.

“He was such a character and we’re so pleased he’s ok.”

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Ringo is now in RSPCA care and will be vaccinated and microchipped in the coming weeks and then rehomed by the charity if his owner does not come forward.

Ms Hickman said: “Despite his diminutive size, Ringo was an extremely vocal little guy.

“His little paws were oily and he was extremely hungry, but otherwise in good health.

“How he’s managed to cling to the undercarriage of the van for so long, I will never know.

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“The men were absolutely fantastic; they were extremely concerned for his welfare and did their very best to catch him, but unfortunately Ringo had other ideas.

“He was seen by a vet and was very happy to have a little cuddle, so he’s definitely not a feral kitten and used to human company.

“He’s very young to be away from his mum and we thought it was unlikely he would be microchipped at this age, although we always check just in case.

“If someone recognises Ringo and thinks he might be their missing pet, we would ask them to contact us.”

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