Fix Auto Lichfield saves cat

Fix Auto Lichfield rescued a cat after it was trapped in a car engine for three days – and then travelled 150 miles.

Darcy certainly lost one of his nine lives after getting trapped in a car engine bay for three days – and then travelled 150 miles.

The four-year-old is thought to have taken shelter from the rain under the Mercedes Benz and somehow got trapped in the engine bay.

The owner of the car only realised there may be something wrong after returning from a trip from Cannock, in Staffordshire, to Manchester – a round-trip of 150 miles.

Staff at Fix Auto Lichfield first became aware something was amiss when the car’s owner reported its alternator warning light had come on and recovered the car on Saturday 1 August and yet there were no instant signs of a problem following a recent repair.

After an initial inspection, they noticed a strange burning smell rising from under the bonnet and then, on closer inspection, discovered fur wrapped around the engine’s alternator pulley. Fearing the worst, it was then they noticed two eyes glaring at them.

Desperate not to scare the cat further, the RSPCA was called and Inspector Kate Levesley arrived to help with the rescue.

Lee Langley, Fix Auto Lichfield’s technician who discovered Darcy, said, ‘The poor thing looked absolutely petrified. Who knows how long he had been stuck in there? We immediately brought the car in after the owner reported a problem, that was just before close on Saturday afternoon and we didn’t look at it until first thing on the Monday morning which is when we discovered him buried deep within the engine bay.’

‘He was so close to various moving parts, it’s a miracle he wasn’t killed.’

Darcy’s owner, Christine Evans, of Lupin Drive, Cannock, said she was thrilled to get Darcy back after he had been missing for three days. She said, ‘We think he took shelter under a car when it was raining and somehow he got stuck.’

‘I spoke to the owner of the car, who is a neighbour, and she said she had driven to Manchester and back that day. It was while she was driving that she noticed the warning lights coming on.’

‘He’s absolutely fine other than he’s got a bald patch on his tail. When he got back home he acted as though nothing had happened. We are so happy to have him back.’