By Phil Coleman

Last updated at 13:13, Tuesday, 12 March 2013

It's not every day that you lift the bonnet of your car and find a little Miracle...

Steve Ling and Carol Milnes with the cat called Miracle

But that’s exactly what happened to professional Carlisle golfer Steve Ling as he headed for home on Sunday, unaware that a curious kitten had sneaked into the engine of the car he was driving.

Firefighters battled for more than two hours to extricate the cat, aptly christened Miracle by his rescuers.

Steve was driving home from Wetheral Animals Refuge on Sunday when he heard a miaowing sound coming from the engine, said his partner Carol Milnes, who handles the charity’s public relations and also helps out at its on-site cafe.

She said: “Steve had driven up there to meet me after work so we were driving home, in separate cars.

“It was about 6pm and starting to get dark when he rang me to say he’d pulled into a labyby because he could hear a miaowing sound but he couldn’t see anything at first.

“Then he lifted the bonnet, and saw the black and white cat inside the engine.”

Carol drove back to join Steve, who was parked at the edge of the village, to see if she could help.

Despite their best efforts, there was nothing they could do to free the cat, so they contacted the police who told them to call the Fire Brigade.

A Carlisle fire crew was sent out and eventually, after erecting arc lights, propping up the Toyota Yaris on air bags and removing one of the wheels, they freed the cat.

Carol said: “By this time, it was freezing cold and snowing, but the firemen were absolutely brilliant. They had to gently ease the cat out.

“It took two and a half hours but they appreciated it was a living creature. It was completely stuck. But the fireman in charge, Steve Graham, said he’d never before seen anything like it. They really were wonderful.”

Miracle came through her ordeal unscathed, and is now recovering at Wetheral Animals Refuge, though staff there confirmed she was not previously one of their residents. “Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for cats to climb into car engines,” said Patricia Bell-Atkin, from the Refuge.

“They do it for the warmth. They sometimes travel long distances with people unaware they’re there.”

First published at 11:33, Tuesday, 12 March 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk