Owners are wheely happy after being reunited with cat missing for weeks

The feline took a terrifying road trip after getting stuck above car wheel

Acat who was stuck for five days near the engine of a car was rescued by the RSPCA and firefighters at Runcorn in Cheshire.

The black and white feline, called Spider, was fortunate to survive after he clambered into a gap above the wheel arch of the vehicle seeking some warmth during the cold snap.

At the time the car was stationary, but he became wedged in and endured a terrifying five-day ordeal as the car was driven around by the unwitting motorist.

Eventually, his miaows were heard when the driver stopped to put air in her tyres at a Shell garage in Palacefields in Runcorn on the afternoon of December 20.

Spider was prised from his confinement when Cheshire Fire Brigade officers removed the car wheel which allowed RSPCA inspector Nadine Pengilly to grab the stricken moggy.

Miraculously, the three-year-old cat escaped serious injuries, although he needed treatment at the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital.

Fortunately, he was microchipped, so inspector Pengilly was able to track his owners down in Frodsham, three miles away from where he was rescued. They had not seen him since he went missing on the first weekend in December.

“Spider climbed into a very small gap between the engine and wheel arch and when I showed up I could just see his little face inside - but he was completely stuck,” recalled inspector Nadine.

“Thankfully, we were able to get to him after the fire officers jacked the car up. I slipped my hand in and got hold of him by the neck and got him out.

“He was dehydrated, so he needed to be put on a drip at the RSPCA hospital for 48 hours. But other than that he only received a few minor burns, so it was a lucky escape considering how long he was trapped for.

“Someone put a note on the car saying a cat had been seen near the engine, but it was only when the driver heard miaowing as she was attending her tyres at the garage that it became clear where he was.

“Spider’s owners live in Frodsham and they were overjoyed to see him again as he had been missing from home for two-and-a-half weeks.

“But we need the public's help to be there for more animals. To Join the RSPCA’s Winter Rescue and help our rescuers be there for the animals in need, like this cat, please visit our web page here.” www.rspca.org.uk/jointherescue? n More information on the RSPCA’s Join the Rescue campaign can be found online www.rspca.org.uk/jointherescue?