Levin cat's fur-raising ride

It must have been a fur-raising ride for Poppy the cat.

The four-year-old was believed to have secretly hitched a ride in a car from her Levin home to Hunterville, 100km away, where her collar meant she avoided being shot by bird-loving farmer.

Levin couple Kevin and Sandra Stent noticed Poppy was missing after a visit from some friends 3-1/2 weeks ago, but were assured no felines were stashed away in their car.

Mrs Stent thought Poppy must have climbed up under the car and held on as it travelled through northern Manawatu and either fell off or jumped off somewhere near Hunterville.

For the next three weeks she foraged for food and nursed her injuries until Waituna farmer David Guylee noticed her lurking around his neighbour's property.

Mr Guylee said it was lucky Poppy was wearing a tag.

"We're trying to get native birds back around here, so we're getting rid of all the feral cats," he told the Dominion Post.

"Any wild cats get a bullet, and Poppy would have got one too if she hadn't had that collar on."

Realising she was someone's pet, Mr Guylee trapped Poppy and took her to Feilding SPCA, where she was treated for a broken tail and scratches to her face and ears.

Manager Jo Finlayson spent the next two days trying to find out where Poppy belonged.

"I probably made about 30 phone calls there was a cellphone number on her tag but the last three numbers had been chewed so I couldn't read them. In the end I just fluked it."

- NZPA