7-year-old cat Caramel gave his owners a good fright. While the family was traveling back near Annecy, France, the cheeky feline fled. He eventually returned to his home in Villeneuve d’Ascq by carpooling.
It all begins when cat owner Marie-Noëlle arrives at her sister’s home in Annecy. Marie-Noëlle, who lives in Villeneuve in the North, was returning from a family vacation in Savoie when she decide to make a stop in Annecy to visit her relative.
Marie-Noëlle was joined by her pet cat, Caramel. Before going to bed, she put Caramel in the cellar so she wouldn’t have to look for him all over the place the next day.
Where is Caramel?
Except that the next day, Caramel is no longer there! The puss still found a way to vanish! Poor Marie-Noëlle obviously underestimated her tomcat’s wandering ways. The woman complained:
“He had made himself invisible! We looked for him for almost two hours in the neighborhood, calling him, trying to lure him with a packet of treats.”
But it’s all in vain; Caramel is nowhere to be found. So, the family, with a heavy heart, goes back on the road. They think Caramel is lost forever.
Hours later, Marie-Noëlle’s sister calls them to deliver some good news: the elusive kitty has found his way back! The bad news is that Annecy is located southwest of France, far from Marie-Noëlle’s residence in northern Villeneuve. How do you return a cat that is almost 800 kilometers from home?
A perfect carpool
Marie-Noëlle’s sister comes up with this unusual idea: to register Caramel for a carpool ride from Annecy to Villeneuve. She suggests they use BlaBlaCar, a popular carpooling platform in Europe.
Having never used the platform, Marie-Noëlle is hesitant to entrust strangers with her beloved cat. Nevertheless, she creates a BlaBlaCar account for the feline.
Then as luck would have it, Marie-Noëlle spots an upcoming trip. Two young men, William and Rémi, are on their way from Annecy to Béthune and agree to take the cat.
Even though the carpoolers are surprised to discover that their travel companion is indeed a lone feline, ultimately the trip was a breeze. Remi told France bleu:
“The cat slept the whole way; we stopped for half an hour to get a snack, he never moved a muscle.”
After eight hours of driving, Remi and William bring back Caramel to the tollbooth of Béthune, where Marie-Noëlle is waiting for them. Finally, Caramel is home.
The orange cat made a good impression on his road trip buddies because they left positive ratings on his BlaBlaCar account: “Nice company, flawless trip.”