Somerset cat home safe after Bristol Airport coach trip

Bagheera is now safely home after his adventure

A three-legged cat who went missing after sneaking onto an airport coach has been found thanks to social media.

Bagheera, from Somerset, is often seen at his local bus stop and on Monday hopped onto the Stagecoach Falcon coach heading for Bristol Airport.

His owner Amanda-Jayne Sullivan said she is used to his "typical teenager antics", but was shocked to learn he had travelled 42 miles from home.

She thanked people on Facebook for helping reunite her with Bagheera.

Bagheera's owner said she has got used to him "wandering off"

It is thought the stowaway jumped into the luggage compartment of the coach when the driver got off in Wellington at around 03:00 BST.

When Ms Sullivan became aware he had gone missing, she uploaded a post on her local Facebook group asking for any information on his whereabouts.

"He's a typical teenager I think," Ms Sullivan joked.

"He tends to only come back maybe twice a week to eat."

Bagheera if often spotted near the bus stop, despite losing his leg in the same area

Nigel Wicks, who works at the Airport Tavern Pub, just outside the airport, was shown the Facebook post by a family member and recognised the cat as one that had taken residence in their car park.

Mr Wicks said staff had assumed the cat was a local one and that without social media, they would not have known to reach out.

The advice Mr Wicks gave for owners whose pets go missing was "put it on Facebook. Really, it goes everywhere".

He added it was "nice to know that we found it and it was safe and well".

The team at Bristol Airport were all on the lookout for him

A spokesperson for Bristol Airport said they were "delighted" Bagheera had been found safe.

The Cats Protection UK charity said the animals are "curious by nature" and "known to roam a significant distance or hop into cars or buses to satisfy that curiosity".

Cats Protection recommends microchipping as the "safe, permanent way for a cat to be identified".