A "cheeky" feline has been reunited with its family today after surviving a terrifying 6.5-mile journey from North Shields to a council depot in Killingworth while underneath the bonnet of a school minibus.
Council officers from North Tyneside Council say the moral of the story for animal lovers is to ensure their pets are microchipped to make happy endings like this more likely.
The two-year-old tabby, Olive, disappeared from her home in Roxburgh Terrace, Whitley Bay, on April 8, leaving owner Heba Rahman devastated.
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Heba and her family spent days and hours looking for Olive throughout Whitley Bay but to no avail.
"The last five days have been horrible and every time I looked for her the weather had been really bad. I was thinking the whole time, is she drenched, has she eaten?", explained Heba.
However, after six elusive and stressful days, Olive was discovered under the bonnet of a John Spence Community High School minibus at the local authority's Killingworth depot. Council officers theorise Olive had leapt into the exposed engine bay, searching for warmth, unnoticed, then trapped inside once the bonnet was closed.
The minibus was then driven from John Spence to the depot, where it was left overnight to be serviced on the morning of April 14.
Olive was discovered, scared but unharmed, and was eventually coaxed out from the minibus into the care of council workers. The mischievous moggy was then promptly scanned, identified, and reunited with her loving family.
Olive's exasperated owner Heba said: "There was a knock at the door and a guy from the council asked if my cat was missing. My anxiety was through the roof but then he said it was good news and the weight just fell from my shoulders, I'm so glad she is back under my roof again.
North Tyneside Council, on its official Twitter account, reminded pet owners of the importance of microchipping their pets, in order to speed up the return of lost animals.
"100%", agreed Heba. "If she wasn't chipped it could've taken so much longer, whereas with a chip you just scan it and it's got all my details. I 100% recommend it, it's necessary for pets to be microchipped".
The RSPCA recommends owners to chip their pets as the best way to identify lost or stolen four-legged friends as collars and similar items can be easily removed.
Olive, now safe and back home, will now be kept under closer supervision, and may soon be equipped with an Air Tag to give her owner her real-time location, as well as some extra peace of mind.
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