A tiny kitten had a miraculous escape after being discovered trapped inside a car engine by a passer-by who heard its pitiful meows.
The Bradford Cat Watch Rescue and Sanctuary swooped in to save the day, with firefighters having to dismantle parts of the vehicle to free the feline. Despite suffering fractures to both its hind legs, the five-week-old kitty is expected to bounce back fully.
The little survivor has been christened Ota, named after the Toyota he was found in. The rescue operation took over an hour as firefighters worked tirelessly to reach the trapped tomcat.
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Katie Lloyd, the founder of Cat Watch, recounted the harrowing tale: “We initially went out to assess and heard tiny weak cries. It would seem that the owner of the car had been driving around with the kitten trapped.”
She revealed that the car’s owner had only recently purchased the vehicle and had driven from Bradford to Halifax and back a journey of about 16 miles just before the Wednesday night rescue, reports the Mirror.
Katie, aged 46, shared: “Little Ota has had X-rays and has two tibia fractures in his back legs but he is young enough to make a full recovery. It was cold the night before we found her and we think that she went into the car engine for warmth after she lost her mum. Many thanks to the amazing officers at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service once again for saving another little life.”
She also highlighted that the sanctuary, which has been running for 18 years, operates solely on the goodwill of volunteers.
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