Melina Marama Waite and her family were having a usual, stressful morning. She’d left the house about 7:30 a.m., dropped off two of her children at daycare, and was on her way to pick up her 9-year-old daughter from school when she realized they’d had a stowaway in the car the entire time.
Waite told The Dodo, “We were parked behind several cars at a crossroads when all of a sudden a small cat got on the dashboard.” “I didn’t know what to do because it was such a shock.”
Waite was astonished to see a cat sitting directly in front of her on the dashboard, and the cat, understandably, was perplexed as well.
Waite remembered she had seen this cat strolling around outside her house previously, and assumed he had climbed into the van amid the pandemonium of loading up all the kids once the first shock had worn off.
She and her daughter drove home right away, trying to find the fearful cat inside the car, which they ultimately found cowering beneath the seats. When Waite attempted to apprehend him, he leapt out of the car and ran.
Waite continued about her day, wondering if she’d see the little guy again and wishing she could have done more. But apparently, she and her family made quite the impression, because the very next day the cat made another appearance — this time, just a tad less dramatic.
“He came back for breakfast the next day and every day after that,” Waite said. “He let me get closer [to him] each day.”
Waite acquired a humane trap from a local cat shelter, and the cat, now named Dash, was safe and sound inside her home in no time.
Waite is now bringing Dash to the vet to be neutered and checked for any health concerns, and while he’s there, the doctor may scan him for a microchip in case he has a family waiting for him. After that, he’ll either stay with Waite’s family or move on to a new permanent home — but whatever happens, Dash made the correct choice in that car that day.
