A pregnant stray cat was rescued after her belly was stuck in a car's engine.

The three-year-old stray was believed to have hidden inside the car when a dog chased her away but her bulging stomach was caught on her way out in Chonburi province, Thailand on June 6.

The feline was discovered crying under the car the next day when the house owner checked the strange sounds coming from their garage.

Animal rescuers were called to the scene and used power tools to create an opening under the car to free the pregnant moggie.

Resident Lalida Knickerbocker said: ‘I heard a dog and cat chasing each other outside. I thought they had left when the sounds were gone but it turned out that the feline hid inside my car.'

The cat was freed after 30 minutes and adopted by the family.