Cat beds down in hotel room with surprised couple

Imagine the scenario - you've bedded down in a hotel after driving nearly 250 miles, drift off to sleep, only to find a cat is demanding to share the bed.

That scenario was a reality for a couple from Doncaster, who stopped off in Taunton for an overnight stay on their way to St Ives in Cornwall last month.

Sarah and Paul Shepherd were woken by the furry friend, which had jumped through the window in the early hours, leading to a search for his owner.

Luckily, due to some quick social media posting, the couple managed to track down Winston's owner and reunited them later.

Describing what happened at the Premier Inn in Taunton, Mrs Shepherd, who has cats herself, said: "It was that quick, he was through the window before I'd even got my feet on the floor.

"The pussycat jumped onto the bed, walked up to Paul who was fast asleep, literally headbutted him.

"He woke up, and said: 'Where's the cat come from?"

She said they stroked the cat and checked him over for injuries, before working out what they were going to do with their uninvited guest.

Attempts to lure him out the window with chicken were in vain, and they eventually searched social media for some answers, while the cat seemed settled the night.

"I went on Facebook and found some local groups for lost and found pets, "Mrs Shepherd said.

"The post was put up within six minutes and I thought 'I've done all I can do for now'.

"We all went to sleep and I woke up around 5.30am to hear my phone buzzing... and I thought to myself 'if I can't find his human, I will not be going to St Ives, because I cannot leave this cat'."

But they received a message from a relative of 12-year-old Winston's owner, who had been out all night trying to find her beloved pet.

After some back-and-forth, Winston was collected at a more reasonable hour by his very grateful owner.

Premier Inn duty team member Amber Norman said of the night: "We're proud to welcome guests from all over the world and this unexpected four-legged visitor has certainly made us smile!

"Clearly he just couldn't resist taking a nap on our comfy beds!"

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