This is a picture of what appears to be a domestic cat perched on top of an express train at Euston station, London, which prevented the train’s departure for 2.5 hours as the staff at the station struggled to get the cat down without harming themselves or the cat. There was a 25,000 volt overhead cable above the train which complicated matters.
The train was due to depart at 9 pm from Euston London to Manchester. Travellers faced disruption but not for the full 2.5 hours because it appears that they were taken off the service to join another train resulting in a slight delay.
In the photograph you can see the cat happily perched on top of the engine. I suspect that he or she was there because it was warm. In British stations they still keep the diesel engines running when the trains are parked up perhaps to run the central heating system in the carriages. There is discussion about stopping this practice because of the acute amount of pollution it creates inside the enclosed space of the station.
Network Rail staff managed to succeed in getting the cat down by placing a large bin next to the carriage where the cat had walked to, which encouraged him to jump down and then walk off down the platform. The staff said that the cat showed no inclination to thank them for their efforts.
It is another example of how a domestic cat can disrupt travel. I recently wrote about a feral or semi-feral cat finding his or her way into the cockpit of a Tarco Airlines plane parked in a hangar at Khartoum International Airport for cleaning and/or maintenance. The plane took off and the cat emerged from the cockpit mid-flight. Something happened but it is reported that the cat attacked the pilot who decided to return to the airport in the interests of safety.
It was probabl a case of defensive aggression or the crew tried to remove him which provoked the attack.You can read more about that incident by clicking here. The cat on top of the train is a tabby cat by the way. That is not surprising because it is the most common coat type among all domestic cat.
SOME PAGES ON CAT AND TRAVEL:
