Cat survives horror ordeal in car engine
RSPCAA cat has survived a lengthy operation to remove her from a car engine.
It took more than eight hours to rescue Nala, a blue-coloured tortoiseshell, who had got into the pulley system of a red Peugeot in Walsall, West Midlands.
The car's owner only discovered the forlorn feline after seeing the warning symbols light up on the vehicle's dashboard and smoke coming from the engine, as they drove at about 08:00 BST on 16 August.
"Nala had sustained serious injury to her right forelimb and bone was exposed. Thankfully, the heat from the vehicle may have saved her life by cauterising the injury ensuring she did not bleed to death," said Cara Gibbon, an RSPCA animal rescue officer.
RSPCAAfter calling a car recovery service to the scene, the driver cut the timing belt in a bid to release the cat, but resorted to calling firefighters who then brought in the pet rescue charity.
Gibbon added: "When we attended, we could see the true damage of what had happened and feared the only way we could help Nala would be to ask a vet to attend and put her to sleep in situ.
"She was in and out of consciousness due to the severity of the pain but thankfully the lovely team at RSPCA Birmingham Animal Hospital dropped everything to rush to Nala's rescue."
The charity does not know who owns Nala, or whether she could be a stray.
The wheel arch of the car had to be removed to ensure that the cat could be brought to safety.
Nala is now recovering after her damaged limb was removed but, "she is not out of the woods yet", said Gibbon.
She added: "The injury on her chest is quite deep but she is a fighter and we are willing her to pull through."
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