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Meet the kitten that spent 10 hours in a car engine from Kentucky to southwest Virginia

"Angels were watching over her."

Curiosity definitely got the best of a tiny kitten that may have just used up one of its nine lives.

Angel, at 5 weeks old, finished up a several hundred-mile adventure hidden inside a car engine.

“Angels were watching over her on that 10-hour ride,” said Missy Viars, co-director of Pulaski Animal Care and Control. “Angel came to us all the way from Kentucky.”

Viars said looking for warmth, the kitten crawled into a man’s car engine before he left Kentucky.10 hours later, when he made a pit stop in Southwest Virginia at the Flying J in Max Meadows, he along with a passerby heard her cries.

The owner said he had no idea where she would have come from – that he didn’t leave near anyone who owned a kitten.

Kitten takes 10-hour-ride in car engine (WSLS)

“They worked to get the kitten out of the engine, and the owner said it’s not my kitty and left, and left him standing there with the baby,” Viars said.

That’s how she ended up at PACC, where Viars and her team cleaned her up.

“We got her rehydrated and fed, cleaned some stuff out of her eyes. Now she’s fantastic,” Viars said.

While her past remains a bit of a mystery, and she’s had quite a rough start, she now has a new loving family to call her own. Viars said she was adopted by a North Carolina couple who are thrilled to welcome her to the family.

Another kitten named Piper was also found in a car engine by a local mechanic. She is still waiting for her forever family. She is at the PACC and loves to be held. She can be adopted by contact PACC.

Piper was found in a car engine by a mechanic (Copyright 2020 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.)

About the Author
Rachel Lucas headshot

Watch Rachel anchor weekdays during 10 News at 5, 5:30, 6 and 7 p.m. Rachel also specializes in health reporting and provides daily reports during HealthWatch. A Southwest Virginia native, Rachel takes pride in covering local news for the place she calls home.

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