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Kitty 'station master' famous in Japan

KISHIGAWA, Japan (UPI) -- A cat turned "station master" is credited with attracting thousands of new passengers to a nearly bankrupt rail line near Kishigawa, Japan.

The number of passengers rose by 55,000 since Tama the cat began "working" at the unmanned Kishi station in Wakayama Prefecture in January 2007, Kyodo News reported.

The line, run by Wakayama Electric Railway Co., was on the verge of bankruptcy until Tama, who wears a little station master's hat, came on the scene and began drawing fans from across Japan, the report said.

Tama -- a friendly pet cat whose owner has a kiosk next to the station -- has her own line of products for sale to tourists who flock to watch her walk around and greet passengers.

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Mountain lion mistaken for large cat

CASPER, Wyo. (UPI) -- A Casper, Wyo., woman said she initially thought the mountain lion resting on her back porch was simply a large house cat.

Beverly Hood said the cougar looked well groomed and she assumed it was someone's pet until it stood up and hissed at her, the Casper Star-Tribune reported Wednesday.

"I wasn't scared. I just thought, 'Whoops, I'm not going out there,'" Hood said.

She reported the 80 to 90-pound animal to authorities as a "big cat," leading Casper Police Officer Mike Ableman to the impression that he was en route to shoo away a "kitty cat." He said the dispatcher assured him he was dealing with a house cat and not a mountain lion.

Ableman said the assumption was quickly dispelled after he went into the yard.

"It stood up and looked at me, and I ran back in the house," he said.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Warden John Lund shot the mountain lion twice with a tranquilizer gun and took it into custody.

"Based on the animal's age and its behavior," he said, "we feel we are going to relocate this lion in suitable lion habitat away from people or livestock."

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Cat survives 30-mile ride under camper

HADDINGTON, Scotland (UPI) -- Veterinarians in Haddington, Scotland, said they are searching for the owners of a cat that survived a 45-minute journey clinging to the bottom of a camper.

Vets at the Haddington branch of the Links Vet Group said the cat was discovered by the Muirhouse, Scotland, owner of the camper after he spotted a tail coming from beneath the front bumper after driving about 30 miles, The Scotsman reported Wednesday.

The veterinarians said the cat was unharmed but frightened and covered with diesel when discovered.

"When you consider how long he must have been holding on for it's pretty amazing, because that would have included going along the bypass probably at a considerable speed," veterinary nurse Jennifer Jones said.

Jones said the animal hospital does not believe the cat was a stray and they are now seeking its owner.

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Chick adopted by family cat

MIDDLETON, England (UPI) -- An Englishwoman says a young chick whose siblings were killed by a fox found an unlikely surrogate parent in the family cat.

Jane Etheridge, 69, of Middleton said one of her bantam hens hatched 14 chicks about 2 1/2 months ago but a visit by a fox to the henhouse left only three surviving hatchlings and two died soon after, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

Etheridge said the surviving chick, Gladys, was brought into the home she shares with her husband to recuperate from the traumatic experience and she almost immediately came under the protection of the family's 10-year-old cat, Snowy.

"Snowy cleaned her and washed her. Gladys is now about 2 1/2 months old and is our pet. She still comes into the house to play," Etheridge said. "She comes in and bounces up and down in front of Snowy and he just stands there and takes it and puts his arm around her.

"They are the best of friends, very much so, and when she first started going out she would not go unless they went together. They are a strange couple but we love them both very much."