This is the touching moment a cat was rescued after getting trapped beneath the bonnet of a car.

The driver heard faint meowing when she went to start the vehicle in Chanthaburi, eastern Thailand, on January 20.

She looked under the bonnet and saw the stricken kitty named Khao, squashed between the engine apparatus and the side of the car.

Khao is believed to have clambered up inside the car to shelter from a rainstorm.

Rescue workers arrived and intially tried to remove the cat from the front, but were forced to kneel down and reach up from beneath the vehicle.

The pet was eventually freed and reunited with the owner, Dang, 46, who said she was ''very relived'' he was safe.

This is the touching moment a stranded kitten was rescued after getting trapped inside a car engine. The driver heard the faint cries of meow when she went to start the vehicle in Chanthaburi, eastern Thailand, on January 20. She looked under the bonnet and saw the bedraggled moddy, named Khao, squashed between the engine apparatus and the side of the car. It is believed to have clambered up inside the car to shelter from a rai storm. Resuce workers arrived and tried to remove the cat from the front, but they had to kneel down and reach up inside the engine. It was eventualy free and re-united with the owner, Dang, 46, who said she was ''very relived'' he was safe.