Police officer's 'lightning-quick reflexes' save kitten from Auckland motorway

Senior Constable Sherryl Pearce with the rescued kitten. Photo / NZ Police

A police officer's "lightning-quick reflexes" rescued a kitten from an Auckland motorway after a 40-minute effort to wrangle it to safety.

Police received a number of calls from members of the public on Sunday about the wee tabby on the road between Greenlane and Market Rd.

Its colouring blended into the road, making it nearly impossible for traffic camera operators to spot, Ten One Magazine reported.

After evading capture for nearly 40 minutes, the kitten was taken into custody "thanks to the lightning-quick reflexes" of Constable Simon Russell, the publication reported.

The kitten had been hiding in the engine bay of a stopped vehicle and was scooped up by Russell when it leapt out.

Senior Constable Sherryl Pearce intended to take the cat to the SPCA.
But before she could, she stopped by police's Northern Communications Centre.

There an emergency call-taker said she would love to keep the kitten so the SPCA trip was nixed.

The call-taker intends on naming the kitten Poppy or Diego.