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Monday 25 Jan 2021

Cat-astrophe averted: missing moggy’s Purr-mingham New Street adventure

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North West & Central

| North West & Central: Central

A cat missing since Christmas Day has been reunited with her owner after a journey through one of Britain’s busiest railway stations.

While fewer people might be travelling by rail right now, Storm the cat became an unlikely passenger needing additional assistance at Purr-mingham New Street.

The 8-month-old cat had travelled from Erdington on Tuesday 12 January with a passenger intending to take the missing moggy to a rehoming centre in Stafford.

Fortunately for Storm, the passenger had to leave the station unexpectedly, starting a sequence of events which would set the lost feline on her journey homeward bound.

Left at station reception, Storm met shift station manager and cat lover, Lucy Martin, who worked out what to do next.

Lucy, who has cats of her own at home, took Storm to her local vet for a check-up and to see if she was microchipped, but the search came up short.

After two days of scouring social media and animal shelter websites, Lucy and her husband, Simon, eventually had the breakthrough they’d been hoping for.

Storm’s owner, back in Erdington, had posted a desperate plea to find her much-loved pet just after Christmas on a local lost and found Facebook page.

Storm's owner, Chantelle, said: "I let Storm out as usual on Christmas Day, and when I went to call her back a couple of hours later, there was no sign of her.

"Seeing no sign of her for almost three weeks, I was coming to terms with the fact that she was gone. I was absolutely over the moon when Lucy got in touch to say that she had found a cat that matched the description on my post!

"I sent over some photos of Storm to confirm we had the right cat, and before we knew it she was safely back home. I couldn't be happier to have her back and I'm so grateful to Lucy and Network Rail for reaching out."

But Britain’s busiest interchange railway station outside of London is no stranger to animal antics.

Lucy, acknowledging a deserved round of a-paws, said: "Working in a busy station means that acquiring animals on shift isn't particularly unusual. At the start of lockdown last year we had to rehome a baby dove.

"We knew it was a long shot finding Storm's forever family again, but we wanted to make sure we tried our best to get her home. I'm so pleased Storm is back home and safe and sound after her railway adventure."

Storm was quickly reunited with Chantelle in purr-fect health, with all nine lives intact.

Chantelle says she’s feline great to have Storm home - and hopes she doesn’t have a new-found taste for travel by rail, road, sea or air.