A cat is lucky to be alive after it "unbelievably survived" a 4.5-hour trip from Auckland to New Plymouth clinging on for dear life stuck in a car grille.
An Auckland man made the non-stop 360km journey in his Chevy Camaro, not making any stops - unaware a cat was hiding in the grille space.
The severely injured cat wasn't discovered until the car was parked outside a New Plymouth hotel where passers-by alerted the SPCA and rushed the injured cat to the vet.
!['Face of a miracle': Cat survives gruelling 4.5 journey in car grill. Photo / North Taranaki SPCA](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/P7JWJZ7OWMBGIXSBLV2AWR44FM.jpg?auth=7ce612f6c01d5341b2ba2b9d3e76483026ada22f30f9e3d57afc5c3e9d238244&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
North Taranaki SPCA said the brave cat was "the face of a miracle and unbelievable survival story" after he lost his claws, was hypothermic and suffered severe shock during the 4.5-hour trip.