Cat rescued from box on motorway

'Lucky' the cat relaxes with Margaret Winter of Sapphire Cat Rescue. Photo / Steven McNicholl

A cat is likely to be renamed "Lucky" after being found in a sealed box in the middle of the Northwestern Motorway in West Auckland.

A woman driving in the city-bound lanes spotted the cardboard box near Royal Rd in Massey and pulled over to pick it up.

She was shocked to find the shorthaired tabby cat inside.

"Cars were just whizzing by, and it was sitting right in the middle of a lane," said Sapphire Cat Rescue manager Dianne O'Connor.

"The box was taped up, so it seemed fairly deliberate ... There were no airholes. No one who cared for their cat would have put it in this box. It would not have survived in there for long.

"We should call the cat 'Lucky', because someone could have quite easily bowled over it."

The cat was checked over by a vet, who said it was in very good condition. It was between 2 and 4 years old, and weighed 4.2kg.

The cat's carers were perplexed by the incident, but think it may have been stolen. "I really doubt the owner would have done this," said Ms O'Connor.

"It is in beautiful condition, and well cared for. If it were a stray, its paws would be dirty, it would have fleas. Her paws are completely white so she hasn't been outside.

"Although she's a little traumatised, she's good with people. We know she's somebody's adored cat."

The pet has yet to be identified because it has no collar or microchip. It has been placed in a foster home until its owners could be found.

Sapphire Cat Rescue's adoption manager, Tania Walters, said it was the best-looked-after cat out of 150 the shelter had been given this year.

She said it had been fostered with another cat which had also been found in sinister circumstances.

A month ago, the shelter rescued a cat named Hugo that had been taken from a 10-year-old child in Manurewa who had tried to break its legs and attacked it with scissors.

"Unfortunately, this sort of thing happens all the time," said Ms Walters. "We hope the cat left on the motorway was not on purpose, but it doesn't look very good at this stage."