Missing Whitley Bay cat found under school minibus bonnet

A cat missing for almost a week has been reunited with its owner after being found six miles (10km) from home under the bonnet of a school minibus.

The two-year-old tabby, named Olive, disappeared from Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, on 8 April.

She was discovered on Friday by workers at a council depot at Killingworth where the vehicle had been taken to be serviced.

The authority said it highlighted the importance of having pets microchipped.

Its staff believe Olive had jumped into the van's exposed engine bay looking for warmth and got trapped when the bonnet was closed.

She was discovered scared but unharmed on top of the suspension column of the John Spence Community High minibus, which had been left at the depot overnight ahead of its service.

Owner Heba Rahman described her six-day search as "horrible", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"Every time I looked for her the weather had been really bad. I was thinking the whole time is she drenched, has she eaten?

"There was a knock at the door and a guy from the council asked if my cat was missing.

"My anxiety was through the roof, but then he said it was good news and the weight just fell from my shoulders. I'm so glad she is back under my roof again.

"If she wasn't chipped it could've taken so much longer [to get her back]."

The council said it was not sure how many of her nine lives the cat had used on her adventure.

It added its mechanic had "got a bit of a shock to find Olive on top of the suspension column".

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