THIS cat used up a few of its nine lives during one remarkable journey spent underneath the bonnet of a car.

The pets are known for sloping off and not being seen for hours, but this one took that to the next level when it nestled itself between some cables in a Nissan Primera for a journey from Norton, in Ryedale, to Rufforth, near York.

It spent a week in its new home and was only found when the car eventually broke down and a mechanic was called out to investigate a faulty fuel pump.

“It had a lucky escape,” said Ian Brindle, of Atkin Motors, in Swinton, who opened up the bonnet to find the starving pet staring back.

“I plugged my computer into the car and it came up saying there was a faulty fuel pump.

“When I opened up the bonnet I saw the cat staring back at me and wedged between the steering rack and some gear cables.”

Mr Brindle, 44, of Norton, pulled on some gloves to try and free the two-year-old female cat, only to discover it was well and truly stuck.

“I presume the cat got in there and the driver carried him up to Rufforth, where it spent a week and came back,” he added.

“I had to take half the car to bits to pull it out.

“It wasn’t angry, just very hungry.

“I phoned the Cats Protection up and they said to take it to the Mount Vets in Malton.”

Edward Button, principal of The Mount Veterinary Group, added: “It seemed remarkable at the time.

“There are a lot of cats that get into that situation and do get severely injured by the engine, so it was very lucky to not get any injuries.

“We had to shampoo it, and that was all it needed apart from a little bit of TLC.”

The animal was taken to Cats Protection while attempts were made to trace the owners.