A HITCHHIKING kitten has been reunited with its owner after being discovered in the engine bay of a car that travelled from Flintshire to the Wirral.

Dionne Hayes and her daughter Jade were stunned to discover the young feline had stowed away in their vehicle on a shopping trip to the Wirral.

Ms Hayes told the Leader how the kitten, later discovered to be called Star, is thought to have got into the car after they travelled from their home in Buckley to see her sister-in law who lives in Mold.

She said: “I parked outside my sister-in-law’s house in Mold and knew the neighbour has three little kittens – obviously I didn’t think anything. We had a lovely night and then I went home to Buckley.

“The next morning I was going out shopping on the Wirral to collect some things with the kids. When I was getting out of the car at Homebase I heard a little meow but again thought nothing of it.

“From there, when we came to a junction or a traffic light we thought we could hear a cat at times very faintly but obviously couldn’t see anything. The radio was on as well so that probably drowned her out.

“We went on to Bromborough but got caught up in traffic because of an accident near the retail park. So we stopped the car and my daughter was the one who heard it again and now it got louder and louder.”

Dionne tells how they got underneath the car and were greeted with two bright eyes staring at them – confirming a cat was indeed in the car.

She says people were now walking past and could hear the cat too and tried to help rescue it.

She said: “We opened up the bonnet but couldn’t see it there and we got a police officer to come and help. The officer spotted her just under the car.”

Obviously scared from the ordeal, Star was reluctant at first to come out from the car but was coaxed out by Dionne’s daughter and examined by a vet from a nearby branch of Vets for Pets.

Puzzled by where the cat had come from, Dionne’s five-year-old immediately recognised the kitten as one of the neighbours' living near her auntie from Mold.

Dionne says she was amazed that the kitten managed to not only get into the car but remain their overnight and also survive during miles of travel to the retail parks in Merseyside without a scratch.

Star has since been reunited with its much-relieved owner, Siobhan Williams and her daughters - Shaya-Jade and Tiana-Jade.

Siobhan said she has now started keeping a much closer eye on Star.

She said: "Star won't leave our sides now, I think the whole thing has scared her a little but we're just so relieved that she's home safe and sound. We absolutely love her.

"We first knew she went missing on Wednesday night when she didn't come in from the garden after shouting her. I couldn't see her anywhere and kept getting up in the night as I was worried about her.

"The next day - with still no sign of her - I get a text from Dionne saying she thinks my cat has been stuck under her car all night. I was even more surprised that they found her in Bromborough! It's amazing she's got that far without a scratch on her - we're so lucky!"