A curious ginger cat found itself on an unexpected journey early Tuesday morning, boarding a train at St Albans station in Melbourne’s western suburbs and heading straight to Flinders Street station in the city center.
Surveillance footage shows the cat casually tailing morning commuters as the train doors open on platform one, before hopping onto the city loop service, much to the surprise of everyone on board.
On Wednesday, Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan took to social media to share the footage in hopes that the cat’s owners would see it and come forward to reclaim their missing pet.
“They didn’t have a Myki to touch on or off, but some kind passengers took care of them all the way to Flinders Street,” Allan wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “So if you’re missing a well-behaved ginger cat who loves the train, please get in touch.”
The post quickly sparked playful comments from Facebook users, with one joking, “This is peak orange cat behavior.” Another said, “Let’s just ‘paws’ for a moment here and consider the cat followed its owner to the office. WFH is far more purr-fect and productive.”
A spokesperson for Metro Trains Melbourne told Guardian Australia that the cat had been looked after by passengers before being handed over to station staff. The cat is now in the care of the Lost Dogs Home, which has requested that only the cat’s owners come forward to claim it.
Victoria’s 2025-35 Cat Management Strategy highlights that tens of thousands of domestic cats are found in the state’s pounds and shelters each year, with only around 10% of them being claimed by their owners. In contrast, over 50% of dogs are typically reunited with their families.
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