BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – The staff of a hotel in Bournemouth were involved in a rescue attempt after a surprise guest spent the night trapped inside a car.
A weeks-old kitten was rescued from inside the undertray of a car which belonged to a guest staying at the Orchid Hotel in Gervis Road.
The hotel’s night porter discovered the black and white kitten, which had been left orphaned after a fox had killed its mother the previous evening.
Looking for shelter, the kitten climbed into the rear of the car and took refuge behind the undertray, becoming stuck.
The RSPCA was alerted and arrived the scene to assist. However, lacking car part expertise, the team was not able to free the kitten on their own.
They left the scene, leaving behind a cage for whoever was able to rescue the wee one.
In order to get some good advice from a car expert, staff called Ravenscroft Motors to alert a Green Flag technician. When he arrived, he assessed the entire situation and was able to come up with a plan to free the kitten.
After removing components from underneath the rear of the car, he was then able to rescue it.
However, as soon as the kitten was free, it disappeared under the front of the car and and went into the engine bay, as hotel manager Andy Padgett explained.
“Ironically, we found it stuck underneath the catalytic converter of the car,” he stated.
The technician was forced to repeat the entire process under the engine cover and eventually eased the kitten out of the car.
Andy said that the rescue attempt took a total of 30 hours.
Now named Smokey, the kitten is in the care of the RSPCA. The hotel’s receptionist, Rosie, is hoping to adopt it.
“It’s a really cute, sweet-looking cat. It was a bit shaky when we got it out, but Rosie put it in her jumper to keep it warm. The RSPCA said it was in really good condition,” he added.
Following such an unusual call-out for a Green Flag technician, the company’s managing director was also made aware of the situation.
Candace Gerlach, head of marketing at Green Flag, stated: “Smokey’s story is not the sort of rescue service that our technicians face every day – however, it’s one we’re proud to be involved in.”
The technician, whose name is a mystery, added: “The poor thing was well and truly stuck. We had to work fast to remove all of the parts without causing it any more distress, which we managed to do successfully.”
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