CARNIVAL: Procession halted due to stowaway cat

CAT-RESCUERS are hoping that a lucky moggy has made his way home to his owner after hitching an unexpected ride on a float at Chard Carnival.

The ginger cat, probably dazzled and scared by the bright lights of the procession on Saturday (October 10, 2015), was initially seen to dash under a float belonging to the Generations CC and its Toy Soldiers entry at Tapstone Road by Tesco – at the start of the parade.

Generations stopped after one of its team saw the cat go under the float and a number of spectators looked underneath to see if they could see the feline.

But with the feline having seemingly disappeared – the show went on and Generations CC continued on the Carnival circuit.

It was ten or so minutes later, however, with Generations now outside the Happy Return pub in East   Street on the Carnival route when the cat was seen again – this time getting dragged from the back end of the float.

Carnival spectator Selma Whitworth said: “We managed to alert Generations to stop and it took a good ten minutes to free the cat which had managed to get himself stuck on the axle. Two men had to lay down in the road to try and free the cat.

“The cat was in shock and his heart was racing ten to the dozen, the poor chap.”

PHOTO - TOP: The cat following its unexpected ride on a Carnival float.

PHOTO – RIGHT: Members of Generations CC were unaware that they had a four-legged stowaway underneath their Toy Soldiers float for part of the Chard Carnival.

Selma, who used to work at Ferne Animal Sanctuary, took the cat home where she too a closer inspection of the animal and found there were no obvious wounds.

“Once he had calmed down I gave him a good check over and he was fine, just shaken,” said Selma.

“We fed him and fussed over him and once he seemed totally okay we took him back up to the town and released him – hoping he will find his way home.”

Selma added: “When you think what the cat must have gone through; no wonder his heart rate was going so fast.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about him and I hope he has found his owner.

“He was in a good condition which is a good sign to say he is being well looked after. He was only a young cat aged about one or two.”

Chard Carnival Committee chairman Andy Chant said a “cat getting stuck under a float” was not on his “things which might cause a delay” list.

“This wasn’t expected,” he joked! “But thankfully the cat was rescued seemingly unaffected by his unplanned entry into the Carnival procession.”

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Carnival.