Wellington SPCA / Wairarapa Times-Age
The unfortunate run-in delayed the train for 30 minutes while the injured manager received medical attention and KiwiRail found a replacement driver. According to KiwiRail's Communications Manager, Nigel Parry, the conductor was trying to safely remove the cat from the train in order to take it to the SPCA.
As many cat owners have learned the hard way, cats and travel generally don't mix, especially the part where you try to force them into a box.
"It's very unusual indeed," Parry told the Times-Age. "In fact, when I spoke to the train manager after his hand had been bandaged up he said he had been working in trains for four decades and it was first time he has been attacked by a cat." Again, we wonder how many times in those four decades the train manager has tried to put a strange cat in a box.
KiwiRail officials believe the cat may have boarded the train somewhere in the Wairarapa region near Wellington. The train company is currently searching for the cat's proper owner, though not to send them the conductor's medical bills, or even a bill for the cat's unpaid ticket.
"We have no intention to charge a fare and we are obviously appealing for the owner to contact the Wellington SPCA for its return," Parry tells the Times-Age, "We can also assure we won't be charging the owner a fare."
Most cats have a desperate fear of travel; they can't stand cars, they detest airplanes, and they bemoan the bus, but what about trains? This adventurous kitty certainly didn't want to give up his seat. Maybe he was excited about getting to visit one of world's greatest beer drinking cities?
Trains and adventure certainly do go together. This article on Gadling about Australia's transcontinental railroad is proof!
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The poor cat looks as if he's saying, "Really? I get chased onto a moving monstrosity, some dolt tries to cram me into a box, and now you want to take my picture. How about I slice your lip in half? Take a picture of that."
lol Lea. You cracked me up. Perfectly written.
Well, it's obvious this story happened in a country other than the US! If this had happened in the US of A, the kitty in the photo would have been dead. That's how things are handled over here...bear too close to campers? Kill it! Moose wanders into town? Kill it! Alligator spotted in a senior community lake? Kill it! Thankfully, the New Zealand mindset is a bit more critter friendly. Glad this story had a (relatively) happy ending.
Rick we're not all that bad here in the states. In fact the Mrs and I keep a home outside our door for a feral cat who looks just like the one in the picture. He won't let us near him much, but we keep him fed and warm through the increasingly longer northern Arizona winters. I just pulled out another spare blanket for him tonight. We keep as good of an eye on him as we can here in cougar country in spite of his ability to shred the skin on any finger of mine that tries to pet him. Besides that our two house cats love him!
If it was me, I'll snap the cat. End of the story.
You must have a very tiny penis to be so full of rage and anger
You must have a very tiny penis to be so full of rage and anger
I've got a rescued cat from our local "shelter". The cat was down as a "biter" because he had bitten a lady he didn't know who tried to put him a carrier. He's an absolute sweetheart. I agree with the statement above, that here in the States, that particular cat would probabaly have been put down for simply being a cat.
The person who wrote this article knows nothing about cats, and so just makes it up. Cats DO NOT "hate travel." Some cats LOVE riding in cars, on bikes, skateboards, etc. It depends upon how they have been raised. The recently was a story about a cat who regularly boards a train to travel to a distant museum. Now, as for "stuffing a cat into a box," you deserve to have your hand munched on. Be considerate of cats and they'll be considerate of you. Meow!
Rick, you just floored me!! I was going to write the EXACT THING! amazing.....
That Condutor isn't smart enough to run a train safely from his actions!?!?
No stanq, I dissagree there are nice people like you but I think americans generally realize that here in america you are considered guilty until proven innocent. In america that conductor would have turned the cat in and the american would have been fined 30 to pick the cat up and treated badly as well