A CAT has traded in one of its nine lives after a 25-mile journey through North Yorkshire underneath the bonnet of a car.

The independent creatures are known for wandering off not being seen for hours – but this adventurous moggy got a longer trip than it bargained for when it chose to take a nap between a steering rack and gear cables near the car engine.

The cat had found its way into a Nissan Primera before it set off from Norton, in Ryedale, to Rufforth, near York, and spent a week in its new home after becoming stuck.

It was eventually found when the car broke down and a mechanic was called out to look at a suspected faulty fuel pump.

“It had a lucky escape,” said Ian Brindle, from 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 she was well and truly stuck.

“I had to take half the car to bits to pull it out," he said.

“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 have been made to trace the owners.