In Surrey, England, a little adventurous cat recently embarked on a solo train journey of over 20 kilometers to travel to London. When station staff notified the cat’s owner to come and pick the cat up, the owner was left astonished.
Named Tilly, the 2-year-old cat is originally from Weybridge in Surrey. Tilly, initially a stray cat known for frequenting town restaurants, schools, and even public transportation, was eventually adopted by local residents Michael Hardy and his girlfriend.
Hardy shared that when two young girls brought Tilly to his door, mistaking her for his cat, he took Tilly to a vet to check for a microchip and ended up adopting her based on the vet’s advice.
To prevent Tilly from getting lost, Hardy fitted her with a collar and an Air Tag tracker from Apple.
Tilly has always had a penchant for adventure, but a recent incident left Hardy dumbfounded. The cat managed to board a train from Weybridge and travel 17.7 miles (28.5 kilometers) to London’s Waterloo station.
Trains from Weybridge to Waterloo station operate every 30 minutes, with a travel time of approximately 90 minutes.
When station staff at Waterloo called Hardy to come and collect Tilly, he was taken aback. He exclaimed, “My cat takes the train to Waterloo station, what for?”
After checking Tilly’s Air Tag location, it was confirmed that she was indeed at Waterloo station. Hardy remarked, “The only way she could have been there is by taking the train. You can see from the Air Tag that she went from one station to another.”
Fortunately, Hardy was working in London that day, allowing him to drive to the station to retrieve Tilly.
Furthermore, South Western Railway, the company operating the train line, decided to award Tilly a special railcard for free travel, delighting Hardy.
A spokesperson for the company stated that they believed it fitting to issue Tilly her own Cat2Go smart card, enabling her to travel for free on their rail network throughout her nine lives.
In Istanbul, Turkey, there was also a previous case of a stray dog, Boji, who made headlines internationally for independently traveling on various modes of transportation. Boji was known to take buses, trams, subways, and ferries, showcasing an uncanny sense of which transport to board.
Reports from 2021 showcased Boji’s daily journeys to at least 29 stations within the city, covering approximately 18 miles (29 kilometers). Boji became a “celebrity” due to frequent appearances in the public transport system.
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