Cat joins police patrol after escaping rainy weather

There was a new face on the beat after a cat jumped into a police response vehicle in a bid to escape rainy weather.

Cleo, a Maine Coon, hopped into the Essex Police patrol car in Halstead, with officers stating she "made herself right at home" by "sharpening her claws on the seats" and "grooming herself on the parcel shelf".

Her owner, Carly Thomson, said three-and-a-half-year-old Cleo was no stranger to adventure and often invited herself into the local cinema, bingo hall and gym.

Essex Police said: "It looks like Cleo enjoyed her little adventure with us, and we were more than happy to have her company!"

Ms Thomson, 32, said Cleo was "the most famous cat in all of Halstead", adding that she even had her own Facebook page documenting her explorations.

She said: "You always see her in front of the Empire Cinema, she goes into the cinema, she goes and plays bingo with all the regulars, she goes in the gym on the yoga mats, sits in the football ground.

"There's a car garage place just down the road and she's in there all the time. I even had to do her flea treatment in there, because she was due to have it and that's where she was! She was on the top of a car roof while they were working on it."

Reflecting on Cleo's latest adventure, Ms Thomson said: "It was funny, the police officer messaged me direct, she said Cleo jumped in the police car and was enjoying herself!

"Then she [Cleo] came home and slept in my daughter's bed all night before going back out on her adventures.

"The community look out for her, if anything was to happen to her then people know."

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