French cat reunited with owner after sneaking onto HGV and travelling 1,200 miles to Shropshire
A French cat has been reunited with his owner after he hitched a ride on a HGV in Italy and ended up in Shropshire.
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After an epic trip spanning three countries and seven English counties, the adventurous feline's international trip came to an end when he was dropped off at Southwater Vets in Telford.
The cat - who had been affectionately dubbed 'Pierre' by the Telford team - had snuck onto the back of a haulage lorry in Italy after roaming there all the way from his home in Calais.
He had been missing for a total of 12 months when he was brought into the reception of Southwater Vets after being found in the back of the lorry.
After his 1,200-mile journey through Italy, France and across the English Channel, the cat - whose real name was Ushuaia - spent an extended holiday with the Telford veterinary firm until it was safe for him to be reunited with his owner.
Rachel Harvey, practice manager at Southwater Veterinary Group, said: “It was quite a surprise to have Pierre brought into reception, with no idea where he’d come from or how he’d snuck his way into the HGV.
“Fortunately, he was microchipped and we learned he was registered to a French database. After some digging, Pierre’s owner was traced and we managed to speak with her using Google Translate. It turns out he’d been missing for over 12 months from his home near Calais!”
Nicole Souillard, Pierre’s rightful owner, was thrilled to hear her cat was alive and made plans to travel to the UK to be reunited with him. After just under a fortnight in isolation at the veterinary practice, Pierre then spent two more weeks quarantined in Dover before Nicole was able to collect him and take him home.
Rachel said: “This is the happiest ending we could have hoped for, for such an extraordinary story. Pierre is safely back home in France with his family, none the worse for his travels and certainly with a tale to tell his friends!
“This is fantastic proof of the importance of microchipping your pets and updating those details if your address changes. If Pierre, or should I say Ushuaia, hadn’t been microchipped, the outcome likely would not have been the same.”
During his time at Southwater Vets, Pierre remained in quarantine and received treatment for an abscess under his chin and an ulcer.
Rachel added: “He didn’t seem to mind his new surroundings and he settled nicely into his routine of wound cleaning, medication - and of course cuddles. There was a hint of sadness among the team when he began his return route as we’d grown to love his company.”
