Percy had a very rough Feb. 25.
That cat, who belongs to long-haul truck driver Paul Robertson, was spending Feb. 24 just hanging around with his owner in New Paris, Ohio, where Robertson had been recovering from a bout of food poisoning.
Robertson, trying to ride out his stomach troubles with sleep, had left his truck idling to keep the air conditioning active — but Percy activated the electric window and managed to slip out.
When Robertson woke up, his beloved pet was nowhere to be found, and worst of all, a storm was approaching.
And so, the 57-year-old Robertson began updating his dilemma on his Facebook, where his online community tuned in with tips for dealing with a lost cat, started a GoFundMe to raise money for a reward — one even showed up in person to help look for the cat.
“When Percy got out, his words spoke so deeply to all of us, especially ones that have been in that position of losing a beloved pet,” Teresa Schutz Esler, who is a close friend of Robertson’s, told the Star-Tribune.
“It might just be him and his kitty in the truck hauling down the road day after day, but when he logs onto Facebook, they have an entire extended family online, new and old, looking forward to hearing about their day’s adventure.”
Robertson was soon forced back into his truck as the day wore on and it got colder and began to snow. He left Percy’s litter box, food and a pair of dirty socks outside the truck in an attempt to lure his pet back home.
Eventually, after an entire 24 hours, Robertson posted a crushing update.
Robertson’s following two trips were 200-mile stretches. At the second stop, he was returning to his trailer when he noticed a very battered but familiar form emerging from under his truck.
“He was cold and miserable and a bit wide-eyed … he stinks like 400 miles of bad road and old truck … but somehow this amazing animal rode with me all day today hanging onto the undercarriage!” Robertson commented on Facebook.
Percy’s sole injury from the ordeal was an eye infection, which was likely caused from all the dust, dirt, and road salt he was bombarded with throughout his wild ride.
“This is the feel-good story of 2017,” Robertson stated to the Star-Tribune. “If ever a moment felt like a gift from God, it was then.”
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