Kitten hitches a ride in Royal Navy pilot's car

Meet Tigger, a kitten who survived a 300-mile journey hiding inside the bumper of a Royal Navy helicopter pilot's car.

The cat endured a four and a half hour car ride from Birmingham Airport to the Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose near Helston in Cornwall, clinging to the rear bumper of Lieutenant Nick Grimmer's car.

It was only the day after the epic journey that 32-year-old Nick heard "very quiet meowing" coming from his car and began to investigate.

Nick, who flies submarine–hunting Merlin helicopters for a living with 814 Naval Air Squadron, known as the Flying Tigers, said: "I'd landed at Birmingham after a holiday and travelled via Bristol and Bath before arriving in Cornwall quite late.

"I looked in the boot, under the bonnet and climbed all over and under it and still couldn’t find what was making the noise.

"I called up some of our air engineers who came and helped me to start dismantling my pride and joy.

"On taking off the rear bumper, we were greeted by a tiny tiger-striped kitten.

"He must have had a long journey but remarkably is unharmed.

"I am never late for work and was left with no option but to take my new friend in with me.

"The place he has felt most comfortable is in my flying helmet, which is the only place he is able to sleep."

The kitten has been name Tigger by the squadron because he has similar markings to their multi-million-pound grey and white helicopters.

They are looking after the kitten while efforts are made to trace Tigger's owners.

Commander Brendan Spoors, Commanding Officer of the Flying Tigers said: "We are more than happy to adopt 'Tigger' as a mascot; after all it's a tradition for Royal Naval units to have a ships cat

"Tigger must have an owner somewhere between here and Birmingham and we are keen to locate them.

"I instructed my team to launch 'Operation Tiger Kitten'.

"With the help of social media they are hoping to be 'mission complete' by the end of the week.

"They'd better be as we are due to join the rest of our squadron who are currently embarked on HMS Ocean on exercise in the Baltic before sailing for the Mediterranean."