There’s a kitten in Perkins, Oklahoma, who may have used one of her nine lives recently after getting stuck in the engine of a car during one of the state’s many heatwaves. The cute kitty looked a little worse for wear in photos shared by Perkins Animal Shelter on Facebook.
Fortunately, it sounds like she’s recovering nicely after getting rescued. The only issue the shelter initially noted was needing to take her indoors where she could cool down after her big adventure.
Now, her story is going viral, with outlets like News 9 and KFOR covering the kitten’s rescue. And it seems like all of that added publicity may be helping the kitten find a new place to call home.
While neither the outlet nor the animal shelter said whether they’d already found her a place to go, the coverage from News 9 did mention that there were plenty of other kittens eagerly awaiting their fur-ever homes, perhaps hinting at the fact that this little kitty had already been claimed.
The Kitten Climbed Into the Engine
It’s not uncommon for animals to work their way into the engine of a vehicle in the colder months, since the warmth of the motor can help them keep warm when temperatures start to drop. However, this kitten was found in the heat of summer, which means it could’ve been searching for some shade from the sun.
Unfortunately, the timing made her rescue mission an urgent one. That’s because Garden State Veterinary Services says that cats can overheat in as little as 20 to 30 minutes once temperatures start to rise, with kittens experiencing symptoms much sooner due to their size.
As such, the shelter needed to call in reinforcements to get the job done.
An Auto Garage Helped Dismantle the Vehicle
No matter how hard shelter employees worked, they just couldn’t get to this little girl. “The baby had gotten its hip hung, and no matter how hard I tried, we couldn’t get it out,” the Facebook post said. “A huge shout out to Nostalgic Auto Garage; they were very nice and came out to unhook a few things, and I was finally able to free the baby.”
The garage later popped into the comments, responding to the special shoutout. “Any time. We are here to help when we can. Thank you,” a garage representative wrote.
This Story Has a Happy Ending
While the photos clearly show just how wedged in there she was, the kitten’s face appeared smushed against the engine in one photo with one eye squeezed shut, while another photo appears to show her with some dark gunk on her face — she eventually made it out unharmed.
Once the animal shelter freed her, an employee gave her a thorough once-over, which confirmed she was unhurt, and she was immediately taken indoors to cool down.