Steven Kane and his family were enjoying a seaside stop during their road trip when something unusual caught his eye. As he glanced back at the car, a pair of wide, frightened eyes stared back at him from behind the grille.
To his shock, a cat was wedged beneath the car — and had been traveling with them for who knows how long.
“We’d pulled up at the seafront near the green and I was playing with my brother’s little girl when I spotted him,” Kane said in a press release. “He’s very lucky I happened to see him. I have no idea where we picked up our little hitchhiker — it could’ve been anywhere.”
By then, the family had already driven nearly 80 miles over two days, completely unaware of their hidden passenger.
Kane immediately called the RSPCA for help. Inspector Lucy Brennan arrived on the scene and quickly realized freeing the frightened feline wouldn’t be easy.
She contacted the Automobile Association (AA), and together they carefully dismantled the car — removing the bumper and headlights until they could finally reach the trapped cat.
The rescuers nicknamed him Ford, after the car model that unknowingly carried him on his adventure.
“He was very smelly and very hungry,” Brennan said. “Luckily, the spot where he was stuck didn’t have any moving parts and didn’t get hot when the engine was on — but it still must have been a terrifying ordeal for poor Ford.”
Once freed, Ford was rushed to the vet. Apart from being underweight and exhausted, he appeared mostly OK, though he does have a tail injury that may require amputation.
Now, Ford is safe and recovering at the RSPCA’s Danaher branch, where he’s finally getting the care, food, and love he desperately needed. Since he wasn’t microchipped, no one knows whether Ford is a lost pet or a stray, but if no owner comes forward, he’ll be placed up for adoption.
The Kane family is grateful they spotted him before it was too late — and one of them may already be ready to give Ford the home he deserves.
“I think we were all relieved he was rescued,” Kane said. “My brother really wants to adopt him now.”
Ford’s unexpected journey could soon lead to a forever family — one he won’t have to hitch a ride to find.
To help other animals in need, you can donate to the RSPCA.
