STEVEN KANE had traveled 128 kilometers in his Ford before he realized the real reason his engine was purring.

Curled up behind the grill at the front of the car was an unfortunate tabby who had hitched a ride.

It wasn’t until the car pulled up at the seaside at Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, the U.K. that Kane heard miaowing and found the cat, a little bewildered but luckily unhurt.

The RSPCA and the AA were called to the rescue and had to dismantle the car’s headlights and bumper to free the cat. Luckily it had perched itself on part of the engine that didn’t get hot.

Kane, who had traveled from Stevenage in Hertfordshire with his brother and his family, said he spotted the cat looking out of the grill after stopping at the seafront. “He is lucky that I saw him,” he said. “I have no idea where we picked up our little hitchhiker, it could have been anywhere. I think we were all relieved he was rescued and my brother really wants to adopt him now.”

Lucy Brennan from the RSPCA said the cat had been “well and truly trapped” and was unhurt but very hungry when it was freed.

It is being cared for at a RSPCA branch in Essex until a new home can be found.

(SD-Agencies)