Of all the stories I have covered thus far, this one may be my favorite. I am obsessed with cats but cannot have one where I live now. One of the things I love most about cats is that they each have their own distinct personality. So do dogs, but most dog breeds have an instinct of wanting to please us–we bred them that way. (Chihuahuas, it must be said, are an exception.) Cats, as far as I’m concerned, have never been completely domesticated. A cat will only do something if it’s her idea. This week a gorgeous orange tabby boy named Sox has made headlines in the UK for hopping into two different people’s cars, traveling about 140 miles round trip from Kent to Wallington in South London. Hilariously, this is not the first time he’s done this. Sox is a prolific wanderer.
One adventurous feline took a 70-mile joyride around the English Southside by jumping in two strangers’ cars.
A ginger tabby cat named Sox hopped into a car on Sunday afternoon and traveled from Herne Bay in Kent to Whitstable. The woman who found Sox in her car attempted to take him to the vet, but the cat got away — again.
From there, he reportedly headed to Wallington in south London in another car, according to BBC News.
Sox’s owner, Jessica Roe, told the outlet she is used to his escapades, often collecting him from various places including a nightclub.
“I jokingly said, ‘Oh God, as long as he doesn’t get on the train to London, we’ll be okay,’ ” Roe told BBC News.
Meanwhile, Jacqui O’Connor didn’t notice Sox in her car until she was already on her way home from Whitstable to London.
“We were driving down the motorway, singing along as you do on the drive home, chatting away, and all of a sudden this head pops in between the two chairs,” she said.
Roe has also had to pick Sox up from schools, offices, a swimming pool, an Amazon delivery truck, and even a kebab shop, she told the outlet.
People is saying he went 70 miles, but that’s just one leg of his journey. He was driven back home by a third person! There’s a Facebook page for Sox sightings which is how he was located and brought safely home. The fact that the second driver, Jacqui, didn’t notice Sox in the car until his little head popped up made me laugh out loud. That’s like a scene from a movie. How did he get in there without her noticing? That level of stealth is impressive. I wonder if Sox’s cat mom could lead train him and take him on walks. That way he could go on adventures a little more safely. Also, I think most cats would love kebab shops, so I’m not surprised he’s ended up at one. This story confirms my theory that out of all the different cat types, the orange ones are the most chaotic.
We had an orange boy named Weasley who got stuck on the neighbor’s roof multiple times. He had a ton of energy and loved to play. He was also curious and friendly, and 100% would have climbed into a stranger’s car, especially if they had raw hamburger meat in their grocery bags. I’m obsessed with little Sox, and I will be following his adventures. If they were really smart, some of the UK car brands or train companies should feature him in sponsored content. If I knew Sox liked riding in a Mini Cooper, it might influence my purchasing decisions, that’s all I’m saying.
Note by CB: This is Sox on his latest adventure this morning! He’s also shown with his brother.
photos via Facebook
Aaaw this is just down the road from me! I used to have a similar problem with my dog, but his adventures were much shorter – he used to escape and find a shop window to lay and sunbathe in. We would locate him by walking down the high street. The post office was his favourite – huge windows in a corner location
Ha! Love this!
This is weirdly pretty normal. The UK has a completely different culture regarding animals and especially cats than America does (mainly because it’s just a much physically safer environment for cats), and it’s enshrined in law that cats have the right to roam, essentially. So it’s super normal for cats to just chill and do whatever they want. Lots of shops and libraries have cats that aren’t even their cats, just local cats that have decided they live there now. My local swimming pool has a cat. It’s nice.
Another UK reader here. This is absolutely true. On a walk down your street, it would be unusual NOT to encounter a cat or two. And everyone has different names for them. We call our locals: Slim Jim, Brown Sugar, Tux and Snoopy. We actually imagine Brown Sugar, who dominates a strategic corner spot overviewing the whole street, has a double life inside where she is called Minuet and pampered with bowls of cream. My partner overheard a neighbour referring to Slim Jim by another name (also not their real name) and we thought, “No — that’s Slim Jim!”
Hahaha! ““No — that’s Slim Jim!” I love this!! I’m unable to have a cat right now, but my garden is the preferred hang out space for all the neighborhood cats (some wild, some with homes). I’ve given them all names as well – Bitchy kitty, Bob, Trio, Ruggo, and big momma. This is how everyone refers to them now (ha)
One of the things I really noticed during the first lockdown was the amount of cats chilling in front gardens looking a bit miffed at their humans being around so much!
House cats are not the norm here.
I have a cat that’s going to end up like this. He’s not an outdoor cat, but he sure wants to be. Once, my neighbor had to save him from his above-ground pool after my cat climbed up the ladder and decided to take a dip. He’ll be the death of me, this cat.
Orange tabby vibes! They just want to make friends and see the world! My sweet boy was like this, too! He’d dart out the door at the first opportunity
My sister’s orange tabby is an adventurer! She started as his “second home” where he would come and hang out and eat a meal every other day or so and then he moved in for like a week so she took him to the vet so they could check his chip and contact his owners and they were like “we moved!” So he’s hers now.
She gets nervous every time they move apartments that he’s just going to disappear but he’s stuck around for years now. He would definitely be one of those cats with like a 3 mile roaming territory if you ever put a tracker on him I’m sure.
When I moved to where I live now 15 years ago, there was a orange tabby who was always around, he always wanted to come into my house eg on Halloween I was chatting with a trick or treater, this cat darted by him, up the stairs to my bedroom and plopped himself on my bed. It’s like he thought he belonged there.
The first time I found him, I carried him down the street back to his house because that’s what the tag on his collar said to do. His family was like LOL no, he wanders everywhere. He came around a lot andwas the sweetest friendliest guy. I love birdwatching and gardening and loose cats in my yard piss me off because of the poop and the terrorizing of wildlife but I could never get mad at him. One day I came home from work and found him lounging on the cushion of a porch chair … inside my screen porch, no idea how he got in.
Just the other morning I was leaving my house and saw a little puff of orange fur on the driveway and thought how I hadn’t seen Bandit (not his real name) in a while. I looked up and there he was, trotting down the street headed home. Still up to his old ways.
Orange tabbies do tend to find their own homes. When I was a kid, we were “adopted” by an orange tabby when our neighbors moved & left him (no idea why they’d leave a cat). My brother-in-law got an orange tabby the same way.
A local attorney I follow on Twitter finished court one day & found an orange tabby waiting next to his car. He opened the door & the cat jumped in, ready to go. He’s had the cat ever since & walks him on a lead around the neighborhood in the evenings.
Aw an orange tabby adopted our home just like that too. It just showed up on the porch one day and never left. We already had an older calico cat that didn’t like anybody or anything and yet she liked the orange tabby. We named him Watson.
@North of Boston, “One day I came home from work and found him lounging on the cushion of a porch chair…inside my screen porch, no idea how he got in.”.
I’ve had to accept the fact that CATS are magicians. No explanation how you can investigate one frickin room for their whereabouts and then 5 minutes later, they saunter out of said room. Houdini was great. Cats are greater. Love this post.
Also love that Sox’s people understand his wanderlust. Cracks me up because every cat we’ve had had zero interest in getting in a vehicle. (their hairs shot out like porcupine quills getting near a vehicle).
Sox is making me miss our beloved ginger boy who didn’t know he was a cat. He was (sometimes a bit dumb) a fearless warrior. He went after things (deer, dogs bigger than him-we interfered when a huge hawk was in the vicinity). His story. I came home from work and noticed new cat things on our kitchen floor. WTH. I’m looking around and all of a sudden, from underneath a pile of pillows on our couch, a ginger kitten face pops out. My husband knew (a secret with daughter). Yea, ginger kitten melted my heart and I miss him sleeping curled around my neck and many other things.
Our Queen of Everything, pretty much sticks around our yard..mostly. Now, like Sox, around our business there is a very well known cat. He works his grift quite effectively! Probably one of the sweetest cats ever. He’s wandered into bars and has been found sleeping on comfy chairs (not at his actual home) at 2am. I wish Sox safety & protection with his wanderlust.
This is so adorable, I love cats and tabbies. You go Sox, live ur best lifeeee
LOL it is ALWAYS the Ginger tabby’s that get into epic adventures. I have one myself and he can open doors with door knobs. It’s quite impressive especially when you are unaware of that skill set and you are asleep at 2 am. Ginger kitty starts working the door knob and you think someone is breaking into your bedroom. Nope just the kitty wanting to spend time with his human 😹
He’s such a pretty cat! I kind of wish his person would put a collar and information tag on him though!
And an Air Tag
He’ll be microchipped so any vet or animal rescue can scan him and get the owner details.
Somehow or other he’s getting home again. His person is getting calls about him, so I guess that means he’s been chipped.
Collars can be dangerous for cats, even the so-called safety ones. Mine came home one day without hers, and a very sore throat – she’d torn her windpipe. The vet said she’d probably got snagged by the collar while climbing. Even though the collar released it was still enough to do damage. It fixed itself in a few days, but the vet said they’re risky, especially now microchips are available. Of course she still managed to get herself into multiple mishaps – blades of grass stuck up her nose twice, stress cystitis from getting into a fight with a one-legged blackbird etc. I miss her.
I’m OBSESSED. Orange cats are the best. All of my cats have been Ginger boys.
You should follow George, the Stourbridge Station cat, a magnificent ambassador for ginger cats on Twitter (@TheStourbridge)
Sox is awesome. I too have an orange cat named Mun Mun. He is smarter than me and rules the house. He can open the treat canister and randomly slaps the other cats. He has a passionate crush on a chipmunk that lives in my yard and he goes from window to window watching her. He lives on his terms. Enviable.
I’m a dog person, but these stories are amazing. Thank you!
I love Ginger tabbies. I have one. She’s female so she doesn’t have that super outgoing, friendly aspect that a lot of the male ones (which is most of them, I think 80%) do. She’s sweet and affectionate and funny, but she runs and hides when strangers come over and won’t come out until she’s sure they’re “safe.” And she doesn’t go outside. She just loves to look out the window.
I hope Sox stays safe out there.
Many, many years ago we had an orange tabby cat we named Mischief. Let’s just say it didn’t take long for us to find the perfect name for him, lol!
I love this story! My favorite story this year until now had been Phil the Groundhog, but this may top it. This dude is living his best life.
I love animal posts! Keep them coming. I love to see more features of celebs with their beloved pet. I love Finn (Amanda Seyfried’s dog), and Guy (Meghan and Harry’s dog).
Am I the only person that totally misses the LeAnn Rimes and Tori Spelling posts? It was so fun lurking here back in the day and laugh crying at all your comments.
Wonderful story! Loving the comments!
He’s a gorgeous kitty, and I hope he stays safe on his adventures. I live a quarter mile from the busiest highway in my state, so my three kitties are strictly indoors, but when I lived in the suburbs as a kid, we had some wandering cats.
I usually don’t like cats, but this one is a hoot!
You named your ginger cat Weasley?! Lol hello fellow Potterhead!
This story is so cute! Hope Sox is microchipped.
He reminds me of Milo from Milo and Otis