Missing cat hitches a train ride across Victoria
A Melbourne woman cannot believe her luck after her missing cat turned up in the most extraordinary circumstances.
Three months ago, Rupert the ginger cat hitched a lift on a train from the city and took a tour across Victoria.
Rupert's owner, Bec Gilchrist, said she was stunned when she got a call from LaTrobe City Council to say Rupert had been discovered wandering the streets of Traralgon, about 165 kilometres away.
The two-year-old cat snuck out of his Melbourne West home in February.
Despite a widespread three-month search, the roaming feline was nowhere to be found.
Bec was left fearing the worst.
"I was thinking there's no way he's survived on his own," she told reporter Kristy Mayr.
It turned out the city cat was taking a tree change.
The furry fare-evader boarded a train at West Melbourne station and took a trip to the bush.
While his whereabouts were a mystery to Bec, her Dalmatian dog Poppy was hot on the trail.
"All she was worried about was taking us down to the train line, so we're fairly sure he was down there," Bec said.
Incredibly, Rupert was found in Traralgon on Monday.
He was taken to the pound and his microchip read, revealing his astonishing journey.
"Without the microchip, we wouldn't have been able to get him back," Bec said.
Apart from shedding a couple of kilos, Rupert is in good health.
"Rupert was a little skinnier than he needed to be," Karin Broomfield, of LaTrobe City Council, said.
The cat has wasted no time in settling back into life at home.
"He walked straight for the pantry," Bec said.
