A cat that travelled down a 70mph dual carriageway in the engine of a car had to be rescued by the RSPCA after getting stuck behind a second engine.
Tatty, a male ginger cat, travelled for four miles in the engine bay of the first car and was only discovered after the driver pulled into a Lidl car park in Stockton-on-Tees and heard a meow.
Once the vehicle had stopped, Tatty ran out and up into the engine of another car in the supermarket car park, this time getting trapped.
The driver contacted the RSPCA for help and animal collection officer Shane Lynn had to help take the car apart to retrieve Tatty.
Mr Lynn said: “He was well and truly stuck behind the engine of the other car when I arrived, but with the car owner’s help we managed to disconnect the battery and several electrical components under the bonnet to make just enough room for me to reach him and bring him to safety.
“The rescue took around an hour as it was quite tricky.
“We then put the car back together and checked everything worked before I left.
“Thankfully, this intrepid cat had no injuries which was quite a surprise. It would have been quite hot being stuck in the engine bay of a car at that speed so Tatty was very lucky.
“After a health check at the vets, I was able to reunite him with his owners.”
Six-year-old Tatty had only been missing for an afternoon but as he usually stays inside, his owner Caroline Ludlam had posted on Facebook asking people to look out for him.
Someone spotted a post from the driver of the car and asked if it was her pet.
She said: “He’s not used to going outside and he’s quite a shy cat so he probably just ran and hid under the car. He was very lucky he wasn’t injured.”
