Kitten Thrown Out Of Car Window, Trapped In SUV Engine Rescued

TARPON SPRINGS, FL — She's only a month old, but this kitten has already lived through the kind of ordeal that gives credence to the age-old myth about cats having nine lives.

Palm Harbor resident Debby Maroney was driving down U.S. 19 on Friday when someone on the road ahead of her casually tossed a kitten out of the window of a moving vehicle.

"I couldn't believe someone would do something like that," Maroney said.

She jammed on her brakes as she saw the kitten hit the road and then run beneath another car in front of her. Both Maroney and the driver of the other car pulled over and began searching for the unfortunate feline but were unable to find it.

Maroney said she continued home, worried about the kitten's fate and knowing she wouldn't soon forget the act of cruelty she witnessed. She had no idea that, when she had stopped her Subaru to search for the kitten, the frightened animal sought refuge in the engine compartment of her SUV.

Three days later, Maroney was getting into her SUV when she heard mewing cries coming from the front end of the vehicle. She then realized why she and the other driver were unable to find the kitten on Friday.

The kitten had crawled up on top of the splash shield that protects the Subaru's engine. Although the kitten's cries confirmed its location, Maroney couldn't see it, much less reach it. She slowly drove to the nearest fire station for help, fearful that the kitten would either fall out onto the road or be injured by the running engine.

The kitten was wedged into an area beneath the SUV's hood that was inaccessible to even the firefighters. They suggested that Maroney might have more luck with a mechanic who could raise the SUV on a lift and reach the kitten from beneath.

"The poor lady showed up about 15 minutes before we closed," said Matt Labus, manager of Tire Kingdom at 1260 East Lake Road, Tarpon Springs. "But I've got a bunch of animal lovers working here."

It took an hour and a half for Logan Fox, Thomas Sheene and Sarek Goldsmith to raise the Subaru on a lift and remove the lower engine splash shield from the SUV to reach the kitten.

No one was more relieved than Maroney, who had nothing but praise for the three men who sacrificed their personal time to remain at Tire Kingdom and rescue the kitten.

“It was very heartwarming,” Maroney said. “They really went the extra mile."

The kitten was frightened but appeared unharmed. After everything it had gone through, Goldsmith didn't have the heart to take the traumatized kitten to an animal shelter. He promptly declared his intention to adopt it.

"We all chipped in and took her to the vet to get her checked out and get shots," Labus said. "Then we got her food, a litter box and litter."

Goldsmith said the kitten, whom he named Subaru, is already settling into her new home.