'Miracle' cat stuck in car grille for 4.5-hour journey to be reunited with owner

A cat that clung on for dear life while stuck in a car grille during a 4.5-hour trip from Auckland to New Plymouth will be reunited with his owner.

The feline, Phillip, made the the non-stop 360km journey in an Auckland man's Chevy Camaro on Tuesday.

The cat was found badly injured by passers-by when the car it was stuck inside was parked outside a New Plymouth hotel. His rescuers alerted the SPCA and he was rushed to the vet.

North Taranaki SPCA said last night that the cat's "very happy" family had been found and he would soon be reunited with them.

The brave cat is "the face of a miracle and unbelievable survival story" after he lost his claws, was hypothermic and suffered severe shock, the SPCA said in a Facebook post.

Phillip the cat survived an horrific trip trapped in a car grille from Auckland to New Plymouth. Photo / SPCA

"It was touch and go initially. But ... he is moving, eating, drinking, totally unconcerned about being at the vets."

The cat is believed to have climbed into the grille in the Auckland suburb of Orewa.