Kitten rescued when passer-by hears cries after making 16-mile round trip in car's engine

Firefighters took more than an hour to prise open a car after a kitten was heard crying weakly from inside the engine, but the five-week-old cat is expected to make a full recovery

A kitten trapped in a car engine had a lucky escape after a passerby heard its cries.

Firefighters came to the cat's rescue but had to strip down the vehicle to secure its release. Bradford Cat Watch Rescue and Sanctuary said the kitten had suffered fractures to both its back legs, but should make a full recovery.

The five-week-old short-haired tomcat has been named Ota after the Toyota car in which he was trapped. Firefighters took more than an hour to strip down the vehicle. They found the kitten trapped inside the engine.

Cat Watch founder Katie Lloyd said: "We initially went out to assess and heard tiny weak cries. It would seem that the owner of the car had been driving around with the kitten trapped."

She added that the owner had only recently bought the car. It had made a journey from Bradford to Halifax and back, a distance of around 16 miles, shortly before the rescue on Wednesday night.

Katie, 46, said: "Little Ota has had X-rays and has two tibia fractures in his back legs but he is young enough to make a full recovery. It was cold the night before we found her and we think that she went into the car engine for warmth after she lost her mum. Many thanks to the amazing officers at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service once again for saving another little life."

She said the sanctuary, which opened 18 years ago, relies entirely on volunteers.