cat underneath car
Mayukh Saha
Mayukh Saha
January 15, 2024 ·  2 min read

A driver heard a ‘weird noise’ in the car — then cops found it. And it was alive

Most of us have seen dogs and cats take shelter under parked cars. Unfortunately, this can be extremely dangerous for these innocent animals. Such a case took place in Florida’s Palatka. But rest assured, the story had a happy ending.

The kitten inside the car wheel.
Image Credits: CBS Newspath | Putnam County Sheriff’s Office | Facebook

According to a Facebook Post by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, a kitten was found wedged tightly inside the wheel of a car. The post authorities could not explain how the animal ended up there. However, the driver got to know of the animal’s presence after he heard a “weird noise”. He then informed the authorities.

The sheriff’s office’s statement read:

When they looked under the car they found a small scaredy cat that was too petrified to come out.”

Fortunately, their fleet manager dismantled the car as fast as he could and got the kitten out safely. Alarmingly, the car was moving for a while before the driver noticed the noise. The authorities nicknamed the kitten “Trooper” and brought it to the local animal control offices.

Read: Retired Nurse Creates a Hospice for Dying Dogs

This isn’t the first time

In 2018, Los Agenelse resident Cindy Juarez discovered a kitten stuck inside her wheel well. This time too, she had driven for a while before she realized the presence of the animal. However, this kitten was so deep into the engine, that neither the fire department, animal control, nor the car’s official service center could rescue the animal. Fortunately, a friend of the family dismantled the car painstakingly and brought the cat out. Cindy named the kitten Milagros, which means “Miracle” in Spanish.

In 2016, in a tiny hamlet known as Beaverdam Virginia, the owners of a Hyundai Sonata heard a kitten’s mews from within their car. They then drove 30 miles, with the kitten inside, to the dealership to extract the kitten. Fortunately, the kitten did not get injured by the drive and the mechanics did not have any trouble getting it out. One of the mechanics at the place took the animal home and named it Sonata.

How Do You Stop These Errant Kittens?

The rescued kitten
Image Credits: CBS Newspath | Putnam County Sheriff’s Office | Facebook

Kittens and other small animals usually enter the cars in search of warmth. So the best way to make sure they are not hiding inside is by banging on the hood of the car and honking your horns. The loud noise usually scares away any critters from hiding inside it.

It always pays to be doubly sure that there aren’t any innocent souls hiding inside your car.

Keep Reading: The National Cat of Norway: Norwegian Forest Cats Are Said To Have Been “Pets of the Vikings”