Stowaway cat has new home with Basingstoke rescuer

The kitten was found stuck behind the front grille of the car

A stowaway kitten rescued from a car engine after a 270 mile (430km) trip from France has been adopted by a garage employee who helped retrieve it.

Doug and Renee Bliss, from Northampton, spotted Malo after hearing meowing at a service station near Winchester.

It was eventually freed when the front of the car was removed and it now lives in Basingstoke.

New owner Lisa Roszkowski said: "We've renamed him Bobby and he has settled in very well."

When the cat was found it was called Malo, but now goes by the name Bobby

Ms Roszkowski, who helped retrieve the kitten at Bakers of Oakley garage near Basingstoke, said: "I immediately fell in love with him.

"It just felt like the natural thing to adopt him and knew it was the right thing for him to come and live with us."

Mr and Mrs Bliss originally called the French feline Malo after the port of St Malo, where it was believed it had hopped into the car on the overnight ferry to Portsmouth.

After the rescue operation the kitten was taken to quarantine kennels, where it was held for 21 days.

Malo was then re-homed by the Blue Cross centre in Southampton.

The French feline was looked after at the Blue Cross Centre in Southampton after being held in quarantine