Got a case of Mondays? This should help.
Another rescue of kittens took place in Florida, and this one was extremely sweet.
According to a Sunday tweet from Lauderhill Fire Rescue, emergency responders turned their attention from putting out fires to rescuing a small cat outside the Swap Shop near Fort Lauderdale around 1:30 p.m.
The animal was reportedly trapped near the engine compartment of a car parked outside the popular flea market.
Fire spokesman Jerry Gonzalez told the Miami Herald Monday that a concerned bystander heard “noises” coming from the vehicle and called 911.
Gonzalez says it took first responders Jack Vandermeulen and Jamal Clarke about 15 to 20 minutes to free the little boy or girl.
One photo shows a cute little face peering out from behind the grille. Another shows Vandermeulen under the car, lying on the ground, trying to free the kitten. His firefighter partner, Clarke, provided the assist.
Good luck!
The top photo shows Vandermeulen, a big smile on his face. He holds the freed cat, who appears to be staring at his hero, while Clarke stands next to it.
The post contained the hashtags #notjustfires #lauderhillproud† #lauderhillstrong†
Unlike similar stories we’ve seen about captive cats this one has not recently ended up in foster care and is not being put up for adoption. Gonzalez says the furball was reunited with its owner, who was in the Swap Shop and had no idea the cat was traveling with him.
The pet’s owner told the crew that he (and the cat) had traveled all the way from Lake Wales in Polk County, about 200 miles away.
If the owner had started the engine after shopping, the outcome probably could have been different. Gonzalez said this scenario “could have been bad” for the cat, who may have been burned or… trapped in the moving parts of the car† Apparently the cat, whose gender is unknown, was not injured on the drive to the flea market.
“It was nothing short of a miracle,” Gonzalez said. “It was between the grille and the engine, and was apparently in some sort of safe place where it didn’t hit the engine directly. It purred and was happy when it came out.”
Seeing cats under cars in Florida is not something new† Last month, deputies from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office rescued a cat in the Oviedo area and told his followers the story with the cheeky headline “CAT-astrophe averted.”
READ MORE: A driver heard a ‘strange noise’ coming from a car. And it lived