A tiny kitten found an unlikely refuge inside a car's engine compartment in Malta, surviving about 15 minutes on the road before its meowing alerted the driver.
Here's what to know
Maltese driver Dylan Portelli shared the discovery in a Facebook post, according to Lovin Malta. Portelli safely freed the small kitten from the engine bay after pulling over and lifting the hood.
His warning to other motorists about animals hiding in vehicles accompanied the rescue story. The kitten stayed in his care briefly before he found it a home. With temperatures beginning to drop, Portelli's warning drew on more than this rescue: he had previously discovered another kitten hiding in his car.
An engine bay can be a dangerous place for a cat to take shelter. Yet the warmth lingering there after a drive can draw cats looking for a warm, sheltered spot. A cat, or other animals, concealed there may go unnoticed when a motorist starts the engine.
What can be done?
"Be careful and check your car, especially if you hear a cat meowing," he wrote in his Facebook post.
Hidden animals can be better protected when motorists inspect the area around their vehicles and beneath the hood before starting the engine in colder weather, as Lovin Malta noted.
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"They know where to go, these little blessings. As they say, the right person!" he wrote.
Where can I learn more?
Other cats have needed help getting out of tight spots in vehicles, too. These stories follow cats and kittens freed from engines, a car's front end, and a vent.
• In England, a cat survived eight hours trapped in a car engine before being rescued.
• In Oklahoma, a kitten became trapped by its hip after entering a car engine to escape heat.
• In Iowa, tow operators removed a Honda's front clip at a coffee drive-thru to free a kitten.
• A crying kitten trapped in a Lamborghini vent is now thriving after a dramatic rescue.
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