Stowaway cat hitches 80-mile ride with Tipton family

When Ed and Schelly Odeen arrived home in Tipton after their last pit stop in Mount Pleasant from their trek back from the Orange Bowl in Miami, they heard the faint cry of an unfamiliar visitor.

Though they didn't own a cat, they heard the soft meow of one just below their pickup truck.

After some thorough investigating and a little help from their dog Maddie, Ed Odeen discovered a small calico colored cat had crawled in the small space between the spare tire underneath the bed of the truck and had joined them for over an 80 mile journey.

With temperatures dipping far below freezing at five degrees when they found her, they were surprised to see she was ok.

“I thought at first she was frozen, but I think she was just scared,” Ed Odeen said.

After luring her out with a portable heater and some deer sausage, it didn't take much time for the cat to warm right up everyone.

While the family thinks “Tebow,” as they call her, is cute, she can't stay since Maddie is ready to make her into a chew toy.

“We named her Tebow because she's a crier,” said their 19-year-old daughter Becki.

The Odeen's, said it's clear the cat came from a home since she is already trained to use a litter box. They said they are anxious to find either the owner, or a loving family to give Tebow a home.

The cat is a young female that has amber colored eyes, white fur on its paws and stomach, with brown, tan and orange stripes across her face and most of her upper body, including the tail.

To contact the Odeens, call 563-886-2952.