Now that's what you call holding on for dear life. Olaf, a four-year-old cat from Essex, England, gave his owner quite a scare.
The cat is quite a homebody and is described by his owner as “a scaredy-cat who’s afraid of his own shadow”. He escaped from home and simply vanished into thin air.
For four days, his owner, Hazel Ohler, tried to find him. She left his litter tray, some food, and a blanket with his scent on it in the garden, hoping to lure him back home, but with no success.
A 15-mile journey
What Hazel didn't know at the time was that Olaf had found an unlikely spot for a nap. He had slipped under the bonnet or into the wheel arch of a nearby parked car. And not just any car. It belonged to Abigail Harrison, her next-door neighbour, who happens to be the deputy manager of a Cats Protection centre.
The next morning, Abigail got in her car to drive to work in Galleywood, about 15 miles away.
Stuck under the car's chassis, Olaf endured the entire journey, braving the speed, the bumps, and the noise of the engine.
The unthinkable happened when she arrived at the centre's car park. One of Abigail's colleagues, who was parking just behind her, suddenly saw a small, furry creature fall from underneath the car.
A miraculous rescue and a happy reunion
Unharmed but covered in oil stains, the cat was immediately secured in a carrier.
He was taken to the vet for a check-up, where Olaf was miraculously given a clean bill of health, aside from being a bit grubby. It was only when the Cats Protection team scanned his microchip that they discovered where he came from: the cat lived at the very same address as Abigail Harrison.
For the volunteers at Cats Protection, Olaf's adventure is the perfect reminder of just how important it is to get your pets microchipped.