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A lucky black cat was rescued from a car engine with only minor injuries after a terrifying ride trapped inside, and now his rescuers are looking for his owner.
Maria Locher works at the airport in Manchester, UK and was driving her Mazda home on the 30 minute ride to Stockport after work last Friday, February 20, when she smelled something burning and found it hard to change gears. She stopped the car and heard meows when she looked under the hood with a light, and then she spotted the cat, trapped between the engine and the car’s body.
Maria said: “The car had been parked up all day so I have no idea when the cat crawled in there, I certainly didn’t see him before I got in.
“I noticed a smell of fire coming from the bonnet and when I stopped I got a torch and looked under my bonnet – that was when I heard the meowing. I’d been driving on the motorway so I think it’s amazing Lucky [as he is being called] is still alive.”
Maria called the RSPCA for help and Inspector Steve Wickham was dispatched to the scene.
Lucky was so tightly wedged in place that Steve couldn’t get him out, and he figured the only way to safely rescue the cat was to have the car dismantled.
After some failed attempts to find help from various breakdown companies, Steve called the fire brigade. The firefighters were able to help free Lucky from the car after a two hour effort. They were able to take the car apart and remove the battery so that Steve could wriggle out a shaken Lucky from the engine.
Steve said: “He was literally wedged in right at the back of the engine, and we were hoping that if we lifted the car we could just pull him out, but there wasn’t enough room around the engine to grab him.
“Green watch fire team from Stockport came out and it took about two hours to eventually set him free. I’ve since found out that Lucky did have some burns on his left hip which were operated on.”
Lucky was taken to the RSPCA Greater Manchester General Hospital, where he received treatment for his burns and got a chance to recover from the trying experience. He is now at the RSPCA’s Warrington, Halton and St Helens Branch.
Lucky has no ID tags and no microchip, so the RSPCA is reaching ot the the public for help in finding Lucky’s family.
Steve said: “He’s a really friendly cat, and not what we call a feral
“I couldn’t believe it when I pulled him out from the engine – he must have been in there for at least half an hour of driving.
“We are really keen to trace the owners of Lucky now as he is a lovely cat and I am sure they are missing him.”
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<via RSPCA news release and MEN>
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