Lost Kitten Rescued After Being Stuck Under Someone’s Car

Lost kittenSource: © Shutterstock

When you pull into a fast-food drive-through, the last thing you expect to hear is the sound of a cat meowing through the speaker. You would probably be even more surprised if you realized that the sound of the meowing was coming from the underneath of your own car. However, that is exactly what happened to a man in Kentucky. According to The Dodo, a man had pulled into the drive-through at Hardee’s restaurant when he heard the noise of a cat through the speaker into which he was ordering. When he listened closer, he realized that the original sound was coming from somewhere underneath his own car. He climbed out to investigate further and was surprised to see a young kitten stuck underneath his vehicle with no way of escaping.

At first, the man was unsure how to proceed to help the poor animal, until he realized that the Midas of Frankfort auto shop was just next door to the restaurant. The manager of the restaurant offered to help the man by speaking to the mechanics at the auto shop to see if they could help out in any way.  The mechanics were more than pleased to help the man and the kitten and went straight over to look at the situation. They were very worried about the kitten and needed to work fast to release. She was stuck in the subframe under the car. It looked like she had tried to back at and had then become lodged.

D. Scott Bourne, the manager of the auto shop, got the man to bring his car over to the garage to see if there was a way that they could release the trapped cat. By that time, she had already been trapped under the car for several hours and was clearly distressed.  The poor kitten had also become dehydrated. This was partly because she had not had access to fresh water for several hours, but also because the temperature outdoors was soaring. Furthermore, it is likely that there was even greater heat under the car while the engine was running.

To help free the kitten, the mechanics needed to take apart the underneath of the car. While doing this, they petted the kitten and talked to her to try and keep her calm. They wanted her to know that they were trying to help and not to do her harm. According to Bourne, the cat was very docile, and this was probably because she was so tired and dehydrated.  It took the mechanics over an hour to dismantle the part of the car where the kitten was trapped. Finally, they were able to release the kitten and put an end to her ordeal. To thank the mechanics for helping out in the situation, the car owner offered to pay them for their trouble. However, they declined the payment as they said that seeing the kitten freed was enough of a reward.

Midas man and lost kittenSource: © Shutterstock

The rescuers cared for the little ginger and white kitten overnight and named her Marigold. They then took her to the veterinarian’s surgery the following morning for a check-up. The veterinarian informed them that the kitten was approximately nine weeks old and that she was suffering from ear mites. With regards to her trauma, the kitten had only a few minor scrapes and cuts. Other than that, the veterinarian declared her in good health. It is almost a miracle that the tiny kitten escaped with barely a scratch after such a terrible ordeal.  Since her rescue, Marigold has been adopted by a family who is friends with those who rescued her. She has settled into her new environment quickly and is very happy in her new home. It is not known where the kitten came from originally, nor is it known how she became trapped beneath the vehicle.

Surprisingly, it is not all that uncommon for kittens to become trapped under cars or in the engines. According to Wide Open Pets, one of the reasons why cats climb into car engines is that they are attracted to the warmth. Therefore, this is much more common in colder weather when cats are outside and want a warm place to climb for a quick nap. Other cats simply want to explore the various spaces in an engine because they have a curious nature.  To make sure that there is not a cat hiding beneath your bonnet, you should knock on the hood before climbing into your car to give them a warning that you are about to set off so that they have time to escape. If you set off with a cat in your engine, it can result in various serious injuries for the cat and even death.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Marigold is not the only cat to have endured the ordeal of being trapped in a moving car. Another example is the case of a one-year-old tabby called Chi, says the BBC. They reported that this car was stuck in a car that traveled 40 miles with her in the engine.  The cat, from Brighton, had gone under the bonnet of a car that belonged to its owner’s neighbor. To remove the cat from the engine, the grill at the front of the car needed removing. Unfortunately, the poor cat had suffered serious burns as a result of her ordeal, and she was also very stressed following the trauma. She was taken to the PDSA’s Brighton pet hospital in the United Kingdom to receive treatment for her burns.

Chi was put under anesthetic to have her wounds treated and repaired. There was also some dead tissue that needed removing. She returned home following the procedure wearing a collar to prevent her from touching her injuries. Since returning home to her owners, Chi went on to make a full recovery from the ordeal and her injuries.

image sources

  • Lost kitten: © Shutterstock
  • Midas man and lost kitten: © Shutterstock

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.