Trapped cat survives engine trip

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A cat escaped unharmed after climbing under the bonnet of a van and travelling 15 miles (24km) while trapped in its engine.

The cat, named Pierrepoint, crept into the engine of the van and was left stuck inside when the van drove off.

The van travelled from Porchester to Southampton before the cat was discovered.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said cats occasionally become trapped inside engines but few survive.

Jim Green, of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, had to remove plastic guarding from underneath the van to make the rescue on 2 April.

Nine lives

He said: "In the end I had to reach up into the engine bay and encourage the cat through a small opening.

"I have known feral farm cats to climb into engine compartments to keep warm and the farmer to drive off unknowingly.

"These occasions don't often end happily."

The cat was taken to the RSPCA's Stubbington Ark until its owners were traced two days later.

The cat's owner, Mrs Margaret Nelthorpe, said: "I think she must have used up all of her nine lives now!

"She's a lucky cat."