Cat found in engine after Birmingham to London drive will be rehomed

The cat, which has been named Tinsel, was found on Christmas Day and the Celia Hammond Animal Trust has been trying to locate its owners since.

But with no idea where in Birmingham she had come from, the charity has had little luck tracing the tortoiseshell cat's home.

The charity said they will now spay, vaccinate and microchip Tinsel before trying to find her a new home.

A spokesman for the Celia Hammond Animal Trust said: "In spite of all the publicity this little cat has had – press, television, radio and hundreds of people scouring missing cat sites – her owner has not been found.

"We always knew it was going to be a “needle in a haystack “ search but with so many people trying so hard to reunite her with her owner, it had to be worth trying even though no one had the faintest idea where in Birmingham she had come from.

"Thank you so much to everyone who has tried so hard to trace her owner and has spread the word about her far and wide.

"We now have to do what’s best for Tinsel – her new name – and we are going to rehome her after we have spayed, vaccinated and microchipped her.

"She has shown signs over the last couple of days of coming into season, so the possibility that she could have bolted out of the car and ended up a pregnant stray on the street doesn’t bear thinking about.

"Thank goodness the people who called us and grabbed Tinsel managed to hang onto her till they got her safely shut into a resident’s flat."

Tinsel was found hiding in a car engine, after travelling to London from Birmingham.

When the driver pulled up outside a block of flats in East London, residents told him they could hear miowing coming from the engine. When the bonnet was opened, the cat was found in the engine compartment.