A kitten embarked on a journey of approximately 50 kilometers, from Águeda to Coimbra, potentially hidden in a car’s engine. The animal was eventually adopted by a family who believed that it was “destiny” that brought them together.
The story, as reported, occurred last Saturday, on All Saints’ Day, when five-year-old Alice and her mother, Ana Rita Melo, traveled to Óis da Ribeira in Águeda to attend religious ceremonies.
Two of Ana Rita Melo’s sisters also joined the trip, and upon arriving in Óis da Ribeira, they parked the car near their parents’ home. It was there that they saw “for the first time, the small green-eyed tabby cat.”
“One of my sisters realized it had entered the car, so we searched for it, but couldn’t find it,” Ana Rita said.
Additionally, they honked the horn “to see if it would run away.” As they didn’t see the kitten again, they assumed “it had fled with all the noise.” Eventually, the kitten made a journey of “more than 50 kilometers” and managed to survive “without a single scratch.”
Once they reached Santa Clara in Coimbra, young Alice eagerly recounted the story of the “very small” cat to her father, unaware that the animal had traveled with them. Later, the man “realized the cat was actually under the car.”
“It was very lucky and it’s because it was meant to be. It’s destiny,” the mother stated, adding that her daughter had been asking for a cat for some time.
The feline, to be named either Felisminia or Junior, joins a family already having two cats, and they previously had a cat that lived for 18 years. “If no one claims it, we’ll keep it,” Ana Rita confirmed.
The cat will visit the veterinarian next weekend to determine its gender and finalize its name.
