What started as a simple drive from Pennsylvania to NYC became way more memorable for the Denardo crew after spotting their sneaky stowaway: Ray Ray, the family cat.
Mara Denardo and her crew loaded up their minivan last month, all set for a Big Apple escapade—marathon running, Hamilton tickets in hand, the works. Then, just a hundred miles down I-80, during a quick pit stop for fuel, they got the shock of their lives.
“My husband gets out of the car to pump gas and says, ‘The cat is on the roof,’” Mara recalled. “We were in disbelief. We had already been driving for nearly two hours at highway speeds — 70 miles an hour — and somehow, he was still up there.”
Turns out Ray Ray had secretly hitched a ride from their New Hampshire place. By then, backtracking wasn’t an option. “My husband said, ‘He’s just going to have to go with us,’” Mara admitted.
This feline freeloader turned into an instant legend. They swung by a pet shop for essentials—food, a litter box, even a tiny backpack—before rolling on to New York.
Everywhere they went, Ray Ray stole the show. “People loved hearing the story,” Mara said. The experience even inspired her to begin writing a children’s book about the ordeal, titled The Cat Who Wouldn’t Stray.
For the Denardos? This chaotic joyride—cat included—is one for the books. Literally.
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