Firefighters rescue kitten from car engine in Villach

Firefighters in Villach rescued a young cat from the engine compartment of a Slovenian-registered car on Saturday, ORF reported. The kitten may have been trapped there since the vehicle left Slovenia.

A passer-by heard loud meowing and had the vehicle’s owner, a Slovenian visitor, called. When he could not free the cat himself, he contacted the fire service.

Firefighters found the kitten quickly after arriving at a hotel car park in Villach-Warmbad. To remove it safely, they raised the car with a jack, took off a front wheel and removed parts of the underbody protection. Operations leader Marco Benigni said the kitten was freed after about an hour.

The cat was taken to a Villach veterinarian as a precaution. The veterinarian determined that it was probably about four weeks old, healthy and uninjured.

The vehicle owner suspected that the kitten had climbed unnoticed into the engine compartment in Slovenia and travelled with the car to Villach. A firefighter and his girlfriend are currently caring for it.