Family stops for gas 100 miles into their road trip and realizes their pet cat is on the roof of their car, they decide to take him with them leaving no family member behind

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Nov 1, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

We've heard of cats jumping in suitcases before a flight or sneaking into cars while their pawrent is leaving for work, but never have we encountered a cat that rode on the roof of a car before. And it wasn't just for five minutes; the cat, 'Ray Ray', was discovered by the family about 100 miles into their road trip when they stopped for gas. They think he must have wedged himself into the suitcases they had strapped to the roof of the car, and just saw the world at 60mph. Luckily, they found him, and decided they were too far away to bring him home, so they brought him on the rest of their vacation with them!

Turns out that Ray Ray adapted quite well to being an adventure cat, loving all the attention he got from people along the way. He even crossed the finish line of a marathon in his hooman father's arms. 

This story is not only a heartwarming tale of a four-legged family member not wanting to be left behind, but it's also a reminder to make sure all your pets are accounted for before leaving for any sort of extended vacation. Ray Ray got lucky this time, but it easily could have gone very wrong. Turns out Ray Ray just has courage in his cat bones!

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  • 01
    msm crocs A family realized their cat was on top of their van - 100 miles into a road trip
    via washingtonpost
  • 02
    washingtonpost ☑ Tony Denardo plans to run a marathon - in every state which is why his family set out on a road trip to Keene, New Hampshire, late last month. They left their home in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, early in the morning on Sept. 26, and drove east, stopping for gas and a bathroom break after about 100 miles.
    via washingtonpost
  • 03
    When setting off on a road trip to New Hampshire to run a marathon, Tony Denardo and his family left their 8-year-old cat, Ray Ray, at home in Pennsylvania. Or so they thought. The family stopped for gas and a bathroom break after about 100 miles. When Tony got out of the van, he looked up and saw Ray Ray perched atop the roof.
    via washingtonpost
  • 04
    Tony got out of the van, and when he looked up, he saw the family's 8-year- old cat, Ray Ray, perched atop the roof. "I had been sleeping, so I was groggy," Tony's daughter Sophia said. "I heard my mom yell and I looked over and she had the cat in her arms. And I was like, am I imagining this?"
    via washingtonpost

  • You know that scene in Ms. Doubtfire when Sally Field understands that Robin Williams was Ms. Doubtfire the whole time? Yeah, that would have been our reaction to finding our cat on the roof of our car 100 miles from home. “The whole time… the whole time… the whole time?!"

  • 05
    "All these things are going through my head. The roads that we've traveled on, the semitrucks that we've passed, the hills, the stop signs, everything. How did this cat stay on there?" Margaret Denardo, Ray Ray's owner
    via washingtonpost
  • 06
    The family had luggage strapped to the roof of the van, and their theory is that the cat must have lodged himself next to it somehow. At that point, they decided they were too far from home to turn around and take Ray Ray home. →SHERPA
    via washingtonpost
  • 07
    Ray Ray seemed to adjust quickly to being a traveling cat, hopping in and out of his backpack and walking on a leash around tourist attractions in New England and New York. Rhodes Hall Swings Book CE GLAND TALERS He even crossed the finish line of the marathon in Tony's arms.
    via washingtonpost

  • There aren't many cats that can say that they've crossed the finish line of a marathon, but now Ray Ray can! That must have been quite the expurrience for him. Of course, he made his dad carry him across. Ray Ray doesn't seem like the type who likes to run.

  • 08
    Ray Ray seemed to adjust quickly to being a traveling cat, hopping in and out of his backpack and walking on a leash around DEM tourist attractions in New England and MARATH New York. ㄑㄧ NEW ENGLAND CHEVY DEALERS DEMAR FULL TIME 5:14-43 He even crossed the finish line of the marathon in Tony's arms. HALF TIME 4:14-476
    via washingtonpost
  • 09
    "He seemed to really like Times Square at night. I don't know if it was the lights and all the movement, but he sat there with his little paws curled in and just watched everything." Margaret Denardo, Ray Ray's owner
    via washingtonpost
  • 10
    youainthardfoo_ Legendary Cat
    via youainthardfoo_
  • 11
    gfarooqi ❤ A family that leaves the cat behind doesn't deserve a cat. Period.
    via gfarooqi
  • 12
    T
    via Margaret Denardo
  • 13
    tiger025w So no one said goodbye to Ray Ray before they left? I always make sure I say goodbye to my pets and know where they are before I leave the house. I'm glad Ray Ray had a safe journey
    via tiger025w
  • 14
    marl4gram Imagine being a house cat and suddenly you are on top of a Van, seeing, listening and smelling so many new places and things. I wish I could hear cat's thoughts to know how he feels
    via marl4gram
  • 15
    penangel ❤ This sounds like something a Ray Ray would do. 0000H
    via penangel
  • 16
    chrissy.c.3 So glad he was safe!!
    via chrissy.c.3
  • 17
    herandsoforth "Okay Ray Ray we're going on vacation, see you soon" Ray Ray: lol
    via herandsoforth
  • 18
    trishyrn Our cat did this once but she was in the back row of a conversion van...about an hour into the trip we heard a meow He really wanted to go to Cape Cod....and he did
    via trishyrn
  • 19
    phoebekiekgarf the most extreme version of "cat doesn't want you to leave so they sit on top of the thing that you need in order to leave"
    via phoebekiekgarf
  • 20
    atika.chohan Speaking as the mother of two cats, this is par for the course.
    via atika.chohan
  • 21
    vjb703 A correction: cats don't have owners. They have staff.
    via vjb703
  • 22
    bellacharlotte99 Proof that family adventures are for every family member
    via bellacharlotte99

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roof adorable pets car cute cute cats family Cats road trip animals vacation
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