BALANCING on the chassis underneath a van, two mischievous cats embarked on a terrifying journey across Suffolk at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour, The Evening Star can reveal today.

BALANCING on the chassis underneath a van, two mischievous cats embarked on a terrifying journey across Suffolk at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour, The Evening Star can reveal today.

The frightening adventure has left one of them missing and feared injured or even dead.

Unbeknownst to their owner, Vincent Ludden, the pair jumped underneath his vehicle at their home in Swilland before he set off on a 25-mile trip to Ipswich and then on to a landscaping job near Needham Market.

Somewhere along the way, Sailum, the more mischievous feline, disappeared – and Mr Ludden fears for his safety.

He said: "If we stopped somewhere he may have got off to investigate. I really hope he is OK, but the worst scenario is he could be injured or dead somewhere."

The first Mr Ludden and his workmate Tim Kent realised of the dangers was when they reached their destination near Needham Market.

Mr Ludden said: "We were sat in the van reading the paper when I heard this meowing. I thought it must have been a neighbour's cat. But I popped my head out of the window and it was my cat."

To his astonishment, the 27-year-old's male cat Groover had survived a death-defying ride around the county.

Other than being sopping wet and looking a bit sorry for himself, Groover was perfectly fine. Mr Ludden said: "I was absolutely amazed". Mr Kent, 27, added: "I don't know how she managed to stay on."

But it suddenly dawned on Mr Ludden that Groover was unlikely to have been the architect of this grand getaway plan.

He rushed home to see if Sailum was still where he thought he had left him that morning on Wednesday, October, 20.

But Sailum was nowhere to be seen.

Mr Ludden frantically scoured the route he had taken and put posters up pleading for information, while Mr Kent phoned round all the vets in the area.

They both fear the worse. Sailum is the dominant one and is more than likely to have instigated the plan and jumped on to the van first.

Mr Kent said: "We don't know if he fell off at 50mph or jumped off when we stopped."

The pair are appealing to anyone who has seen Sailum, who is completely black and about six months old. He could be anywhere in Ipswich or the surrounding area.

Mr Ludden left his house in Swilland around 8.30am and went to the Whitton estate in Ipswich. From there they travelled along the Henley Road to Claydon, then to Nedging Tye, near Needham Market, for a job at 10.30am.

If you have seen Sailum or have any information, please call Vincent Ludden on 01473 784903.