A woman whose cat traveled over 100 miles at highway speeds on the roof of her car has recalled the ‘terrifying’ moment that she discovered the ‘unfazed’ feline.
Mara Denardo, 43, from Kittanning, Pennsylvania, set out on a road trip with her family back in September.
They planned to drive to Keene, New Hampshire, followed by New York City – but little did they know they’d have an unexpected stowaway.
Their cat, Ray Ray, was on the top of their van when they left home – and he miraculously stayed up there for over 100 miles before they finally noticed him.
They had driven on major highways at speeds of at least 70 miles per hour, so naturally, they were completely stunned to find him on top of the vehicle when they stopped for gas.
‘One hundred and five miles into our trip we stopped off of interstate 80 to get gas and use the restroom,’ Denardo explained during an exclusive chat with the Daily Mail.
That’s when her husband alerted her: ‘The cat is on the roof.’
‘I was terrified and shocked. I immediately thought of all the horrible things that could have happened to him,’ continued Denardo.
A woman whose cat traveled over 100 miles at highway speeds on the roof of her car has recalled the ‘terrifying’ moment that she discovered the ‘unfazed’ feline
Mara Denardo, 43, from Kittanning, Pennsylvania, set out on a road trip with her family back in September – but little did they know they had an unexpected stowaway
‘I certainly didn’t want him running off where we were so I just grabbed him off the roof and hugged him.’
As for how he managed to not fall off, she theorized, ‘There was a fabric luggage carrier on the roof that was strapped down. He had to be hiding with it somehow.’
While she was understandably shaken up, she said the feline was ‘completely unfazed.’
Since driving all the way back home to drop him off would throw off their plans – given that they were running a marathon in New Hampshire and had tickets to Hamilton on Broadway – they decided to take Ray Ray with them.
The stopped at a nearby Petco to get some supplies before they continued on with their trip.
Photos show the cat checking out the sites of New Hampshire and at various spots around New York City on a leash or from a cat backpack.
One image showed him in Grand Central, while another featured the kitty in Time Square.
And now that they’re back home, Denardo is ecstatic that the little guy got to go on the adventure with them.
They had driven on major highways at speeds of at least 70 miles per hour, so naturally, they were completely stunned to find him on top of the vehicle when they stopped for gas
Since driving all the way back home to drop him off would throw off their plans, they decided to take Ray Ray with them. He’s seen with Denardo during the trip
Photos show the cat checking out the sites of New Hampshire and at various spots around New York City on a leash or from a cat backpack
‘He is so chill and friendly. He’s curious and laid back, always wanting people’s attention,’ she said of his demeanor.
She recently shared the story on TikTok and Instagram, where it went viral.
‘I thought it would get some good views on TikTok… but I didn’t know it would be everywhere,’ Denardo said of the massive attention it has revealed.
She has now written a children’s book about it, called The Cat Who Wouldn’t Stray.
She plans to turn it into a whole series about Ray Ray, as she previously explained to CBS News, ‘Each [book] can be a different place that he went.’
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