Cosmic the missing moggy reunites with owners thanks to National Highways
A cat called Cosmic has been reunited with its owners after going missing in a National Highways outstation for 11 days.
Saroja and Patrick Noel were on their way from their home in Dagenham to the Lake District with daughters Indra (13) and Prabha (10) for a few days when they pulled into Watford Gap services for a break. They took one-year-old Cosmic out of his carrier and put him on a lead so he could stretch his legs and have a drink of water, but he managed to escape into the National Highways Traffic Officer base on the other side of the car park.
Traffic Officers helped hunt for the feline fugitive but he was nowhere to be seen so after an hour team manager Mick Tomlinson suggested the family continue on their journey but leave Cosmic’s carrier and some food behind so he and his colleagues could keep looking.
Prabha Noel with Cosmic the Cat
Mick said: “We have woods at the back of the outstation which must have felt like a playground for Cosmic. We were out looking, trying to entice him with food so we could build his trust and catch him but he was nowhere to be seen.
“With the M1, a river and a railway line in close proximity we were worried for him so we all joined the hunt over differing shifts with staff buying tins of food out of their own pockets.
“He appeared after four days, very hungry, but it took another week before we could get anywhere near him and were able to gain his trust. He eventually walked into the building where we’d put a bowl of food in his carrier this Tuesday. He walked right in so we quickly closed the door and rang the family to tell them the good news. It’s a great result for us. We all wanted to find him. If there’s a feline equivalent to dogged determination, this was it.”
The next evening, (Wednesday, 5 June) Mick drove Cosmic to Toddington Services to reunite him with his owners.
The purr-fect reunion! National Highways Team Manager Mick Tomlinson reunites Prabha (left) and Indra Noel with Cosmic
Saroja said:
“We cannot believe we got him back. We are all so, so happy. What Mick did was wonderful. He was very patient and kept us updated every day. We cannot thank him enough. Cosmic is Prabha’s baby and she was so upset he’d managed to escape so to get Mick’s call saying he was safe was just amazing.
“Cosmic meowed all the way home. We can’t work out if he was telling us about his adventure or telling us off for leaving him behind!”
Notes to Editors
National Highways is the wholly government-owned company responsible for modernising, maintaining and operating England’s motorways and major A roads.
Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads is available via the Traffic England website, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile apps. Local Twitter services are also available.
For further information please contact National Highways' press office (24hrs) on 0844 693 1448 and select the most appropriate option:
Option 1: National enquiries (9am to 5.30pm) and out of hours for urgent enquiriesOption 2: North West (9am to 5.30pm)Option 3: Yorkshire and North East (9am to 5.30pm)Option 4: West Midlands (9am to 5.30pm)Option 5: East Midlands (9am to 5.30pm)Option 6: East (9am to 5.30pm)Option 7: South East (9am to 5.30pm)Option 8: South West (9am to 5.30pm)
