Two mischievous kittens with a history of adventure are safely back home after hitching an unauthorized ride in a gardener’s van. Daisy and Poppy, who live with Reverend Carol Lee and her husband Simon in Kirk Sandall, Doncaster, disappeared one March afternoon when they failed to return for their usual teatime meal. The inquisitive pair had apparently climbed into a Green Thumb gardening van and were transported nearly half a mile away.
The Mysterious Disappearance of kittens
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When Daisy and Poppy didn’t return home at their usual mealtime, Reverend Lee and her husband grew increasingly concerned. The kittens had a habit of trying to climb into vehicles – often attempting to sneak into their owner’s car. This exploratory behavior apparently extended to the gardener’s van that had visited their property that day.
“The next morning, we found out [the gardener] had spotted a kitten under his van at one of his stops and had shooed it away for fear of it getting run over,” Mrs. Lee explained. This critical clue helped the couple understand what might have happened to their missing pets. The gardener had unwittingly transported the stowaways along his route, leaving them in unfamiliar territory far from home.
The couple’s third cat, Cedric, apparently had more sense than his younger companions. He remained safely at home rather than joining the impromptu journey.
Community Search Effort
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Faced with missing pets, the Lees quickly mobilized resources to find their beloved kittens. They put up posters around the neighborhood and made a crucial decision to contact Green Thumb gardening company directly. They also utilized social media, posting on the Doncaster lost and found pets Facebook group to spread the word.
Tracey Hawkins from Green Thumb Doncaster proved to be a vital ally in the search. As a self-described “huge animal lover,” she helped by connecting the couple with customers along the gardener’s route from that day. This collaborative approach created a network of people watching for the missing kittens.
The strategy paid off when one customer called to report a kitten meowing at her door around 11 p.m. that night. The location was approximately half a mile from the Lee’s home. As the couple prepared to retrieve this first kitten, they received word that the second kitten had returned to another garden visited earlier that day by the gardener.
Emotional Reunion
“It was such a relief to have them back home,” Mrs. Lee said after the successful rescue. She expressed doubt that the young cats could have found their way back independently from such a distance. “I don’t think they would have been able to find their own way back,” she noted.
The experience highlighted the power of community action in times of need. “Everybody was so helpful and supportive and the community really came together to help us find them,” Mrs. Lee acknowledged, expressing gratitude for the collaborative effort that brought her pets home.
