One man's drive of his 2007 Chevrolet Corvette
from New Orleans to Memphis took a turn for the strange a few days ago
when he kept hearing a noise from his engine compartment. A stop at a
Mississippi auto dealership revealed the source -- a 6-week-old kitten
which had somehow wedged itself into the car's engine bay and ridden 180
miles. That's one lucky Vette pet.
According to WAPT-TV in Jackson, Miss., the kitten was found when mechanics opened the hood and door of the Vette and saw her peeking out. Workers at Howard Wilson Dodge in Flowood, Miss., had to remove the Corvette's front fender to get to the furry stowaway, who was suffering from dehydration but otherwise unharmed.
Animals often climb into engine compartments seeking a warm place to shelter; it's not the first time a feline has ridden a couple hundred miles in a car, although previous cases have involved trucks and SUVs with far more room to cozy up than a Corvette. Given how many such cases end in tragedy, some veterinarians recommend people living with outdoor cats and cars honk their horns before starting off.
After being rescued and re-assembling the car, the Vette's owner
declined to take ownership of his smallest passenger, so the kitten was
turned over to a nearby animal shelter. It's named her Gigi -- short for
Gloria Gaynor, from the disco hit "I Will Survive." She does know from
being petrified, and now has a few more lives to live:
Cat takes a ride in engineA cat travels 180 miles under the hood of a hot car.
