Cat travels from Peachland to Kelowna in car engine, owner found

Photo: Ashley Piper

UPDATED: 2:45 p.m. 

The owner of a cat that travelled from Peachland to Kelowna caught in a stranger's car engine on Sunday afternoon has now been located.

Kelowna resident Ashley Piper, who looked after the cat overnight, made the announcement on Facebook at about midday Monday. 

ORIGINAL: 4:00 a.m.

Kelowna resident Ashley Piper is requesting the public's help to locate the owner of a missing cat, after it got stuck in a stranger's car engine on Sunday afternoon and inadvertently travelled all the way from Peachland to Kelowna.

Piper's roommate's mother was delivering a BBQ to their house on Sunday afternoon, when they realized they may have unintentionally picked up an extra passenger.

"My roommate went outside and he kept hearing this meowing sound," says Piper. "He just said mum, can you lift the hood of the car? He looked in there and found the cat in the engine, so the only place she went is from Peachland to Orchard Park Mall to here.

"The cat made it from Peachland and somehow didn't get fried in the engine. It's alive and well and sitting right beside me ... this cat literally has nine lives."

But with no identification tag and no collar, the question of who the cat belongs to remains unanswered. 

"You can tell it's been loved," says Piper. "It's got a lot of weight on it and it's very lovey and cuddly, so I think someone's probably really missing it." 

For now, she's got a crate and adequate food thanks to the generosity of a neighbour, but Piper would love to find its owner and return the cat to its home as soon as possible. 

As of Sunday evening, her Facebook post had been shared nearly 400 times.

If you are the owner of the cat or have any information that could help, please contact Piper at 250-212-3588.