Tiny kitten, terrified, traumatized, and soaking wet, rescued from car after hour-long struggle
HEMET — A tiny kitten, discovered deep inside a car’s fender well, was rescued by firefighters this afternoon, after they had to take apart much the car’s front-end in a Hemet parking lot.
The kitty, who has since been named Camry after the car it was found stuck inside, was adopted at the scene and has already found a new home and life outside the bowels of the car it was once trapped in.
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After an hour of careful struggling, firefighters’ efforts were rewarded when they triumphantly pulled a small kitten from inside a Toyota. Will Whelan/Hemet Valley Incidents photo
City of Hemet firefighters responded to the Rite-Aid at Sanderson and Devonshire Avenues in Hemet, after an area resident heard tiny but loud meows coming from the engine bay of a Toyota Camry.
When firefighters arrived they could hear the kitten’s frantic mewling and realized the small cat was possibly trapped somewhere within the car’s hot engine compartment.
With valley temperatures reaching into the mid-80’s, officials quickly began a rescue operation, trying to determine the quickest and safest way to pull the vehicle apart to free the cat.
Firefighters began removing various parts from the engine bay trying to gain access to the kitten before determining the terrified animal had somehow worked its way into the car’s fender and could not be accessed from inside the engine compartment.
With no other way to safely access the kitten, firefighters removed the car’s front bumper, right headlight, grill, and other accessories so they could remove the vehicle’s front, passenger side fender.
As rescuers got closer to the kitten, it became more terrified and tried climbing deeper into the car’s fender – away from the giant, gloved hands trying desperately to pull it to safety.
The cat’s terrified meows brought a bevvy of curious and concerned onlookers, who were rooting for the firefighters – and the tiny, terrified feline – as officials continued removing parts from the car.
While firefighters continued their efforts in the afternoon heat, sweat dripped down their faces and soaked their clothes, further exhibiting the urgency to pull the clearly distressed cat from the hot bay of the engine compartment. Throughout the entire lengthy process, the kitten continued to mewl in fear, clearly indicating the firefighters’ efforts to rescue it were scaring and confusing it.
Down 1 of its 9 lives, Camry the lucky rescue kitten snuggles with new owner, Samantha Rainwater. Gary Rainwater photo
After more than an hour, the firefighters’ efforts were rewarded when they managed to pull a small, black, ball of sweat-soaked fur from within the car’s fender well. The mewling kitty was passed on to witnesses who had gathered to watch the drama unfold.
A person at the scene produced a towel to begin drying and cleaning the cat and it slowly began calming down and accepting the love and care it was being offered.
Firefighters at the scene named the kitten Camry after the vehicle it was saved from and there was no shortage of people at the scene willing to take the cat and provide it a new home.
Other than what appeared to be a minor eye injury – possibly from dirt or debris from inside the fender – the kitten appeared uninjured. After getting a quick check-up at the scene, the cat was turned over to its new owners.
Once taken to its new home, Camry was cleaned up and much like the fender it had worked its way into, the tiny kitty has already worked its way into the hearts of Valley citizens as well as Samantha Rainwater, its proud new owner.
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Will Whelan/Hemet Valley Incidents video
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 46, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations, including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook, as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and The Mountain Echo in Shasta County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 27 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 14 – soon to be 15 – grandchildren.