Long-distance bus traveller leaves their cat at bus station and jumps on

The story comes from Halifax, UK. A unnamed person with a black-and-white cat had planned to travel on a long-distance bus from Halifax in the north of England to London in the south. 

The abandoned cat now named London abandoned at Halifax, UK bus station and rescued as there was a rescue centre over the road! Image: Halifax Courier.

According to the reports they had booked their seat and had a ticket but had not made arrangements for their cat to accompany them on the bus.

The driver appears to have refused to accept their cat and they jumped on the bus themselves and left their cat at the bus station. It is as straightforward as that apparently.

Animal advocates will find their behaviour shocking but they will also know that cat abandonment in its various guises happens a lot. It is the first time I have bumped into this variation.

Sadly it demonstrates a rather careless or callous attitude to cat caregiving but we don't know the full circumstances. There may be some mitigating circumstances but that said it is still unsatisfactory as there was a good alternative to raw abandonment.

The cat was rescued partly because just over the road from the bus station is a rescue centre! Brilliant and David Aitken-Alexander, deputy manager at the Halifax animal centre, said the following:

“As we’re just across the road from the bus station it was probably the first place the kind member of staff thought of when they realised that London had been left behind, and we were pleased to be able to help.

“We were told the owner had brought her to the bus station, but hadn’t booked a ticket for her to travel, so they took off but left her behind in her carrier.

“London hasn’t let this unpleasant experience affect her at all though, she’s settled into cattery life straight away.

"She's a beautiful, confident, friendly and chatty little lady, who entertains everyone here with her funny little ways.

“We’re hopeful we’ve already got a wonderful new home lined up for her, so it’s only been a short stop with us, although we have lots of other cats who equally deserve a happy ending - some of whom have been with us considerably longer than London - and we’d encourage anyone who is thinking of welcoming a cat into their family to visit our website.”

An excellent ending. Lucky though. Many abandoned cats are not so lucky. This cat has a nice new home I suspect.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.