Couple Drives for Miles with Cat in Engine, Even Firefighters Couldn’t Help
Traveling a long distance in a car can be a challenge even for the best of drivers. But when an unsuspecting guest hitches a ride, stress can certainly set in.
For Andrew and Christine Steelsmith, their stowaway was a cat that had found his way into the engine compartment of their car, according to The Dodo.
As they drove along the highway, just outside of Dallas, Texas, they heard a strange noise. Andrew said the meowing sounded more like a howl.
The couple pulled over, popped the hood and, sure enough, a cat had buried himself deep within the engine.
“Can’t we just have a normal road trip?” Christine asked Andrew.
Try as hard as they might, they just couldn’t free the cat that Christine by now had affectionately named Dallas.
They needed help freeing Dallas, so they called the local fire department “because we didn’t know what else to do,” David told The Dodo.
The fire department tried to get Dallas out with a series of tricks including coaxing him with dog treats. They spent as much as 45 minutes to an hour trying to free the cat, but no such luck. Dallas was staying put.
“We could see him poke his head out, but there was no way he was going to fit his body out that little hole,” Christine said.
The fire department told Andrew and Christine that their only hope was to take their car to a mechanic and have it taken apart. This was the only way that they could see that Dallas could possibly get out of the car.
The fire department held up traffic and let Andrew and Christine inch along the highway to the service station. The mechanic was less than a mile up the road, and the couple hoped they could make it there safely.
“I don’t think it’s going to survive,” Andrew said at the time. “Let’s hope.”
“Come on kitty meow,” Christine pleaded. “We want to know you are OK.”
At the service station, the mechanics saw the predicament that Andrew and Christine were in. Apparently, this wasn’t the first cat in an engine they had seen and they called in the “cat whisperer.”
The car was placed on the lift and the mechanics took the wheel and wheel guard off. Within five minutes Dallas was free from the hold of the car.
“When he finally came out it was a relief,” Andrew told The Dodo. “The compassion of everyone was just overwhelming. It was great!”
Andrew and Christine had fallen in love with Dallas by then, and they happily added the cat as a passenger on their return trip to Seattle.
“I think Dallas pooped and peed on me more on that trip than he did on the puppy pad we got him,” Christine told The Dodo. “After that, of course, I’m mom.”
Christine and Andrew are now the loving new parents of Dallas.
“He adopted us,” Christine said. “He chose our car. He was meant to be a part of our family.”
They are a perfect match if you ask me!
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