Cat Survives 1,700 Miles Under Train

Polly the cat was found after riding 1,700 miles around England and Wales in the undercarriage of a train. It is thought that she stayed in the undercarriage for at least two days in fear after badly mangling her front limb. Train manager Emily Mahoney-Smith found the cat when she heard meowing at a stop on the way to Cornwall.   

Emily took her on board and fed her tuna from a sandwich from the train's buffet and put her in a box in her compartment.

She then asked controllers to alert the RSPCA and the charity got in touch with on-call vet Matthew Berriman in Penzance.

Matthew, 34, said Polly was in such a bad state he thought she was a stray and was preparing to put her down.

But she used up her final life when he decided to check if she had been microchipped - and found she had.

The chip gave the details of the cattery in Plymouth who had looked after Polly before giving her a home with retired train driver Arthur Westington, 84, and his wife Louisa.

Polly's owners had not seen the cat in three weeks and thought she was gone for good. They gave permission for her limb to be amputated. Polly is recovering well and will be returned home soon. Link   -via Arbroath, where you can see a video.