Kitten Survives 275-Mile Ride Next to Car Engine

Yahoo! News ^ | Reuters

[Tarpaulin]

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German couple was shocked after a 275-mile car journey to discover a surprise stowaway cowering next to the engine of their car -- a 6-week-old kitten.

The meows of the tiny animal only became audible after Elisabeth and Dieter Gesehl had parked their car.

"First of all we called the police as we feared for a moment that we must have run over and seriously injured a cat," the 64-year-old woman from Eggenfelden told Bonn express newspaper.

After checking under the hood, however, they discovered the unharmed kitten. The animal, which the couple have since adopted and named "Pussy," was soon back to normal after a few minutes of petting.

[MineralMan]

This happens quite a bit during the winter season. Cats seek warmth and security. The under-hood area of cars provide both. We'll hear more of these stories.

[Sunshine Sister]

The second good kitty story in 2 days. Cool

[Fierce Allegiance]

I wonder if the husband or wife gave it the name.

[Petronski]

I know, I'm so juvenile. But I just can't resist pointing out the end of the last paragraph:


"Pussy" was soon back to normal after a few minutes of petting.

[Fierce Allegiance]

True, but it makes for a lot of 3-legged cats.

[najida]

My brother always hits his horn and bangs on the hood before cranking his truck. Nothing more disturbing than killing a cat in the fan belt :(

[Petronski]

Of course, these stories do not always end so well, I'm afraid. A friend of mine heard a thud and a splat when starting his truck one morning about fifteen years ago....

[asgardshill]

The animal, which the couple have since adopted and named "Pussy," was soon back to normal after a few minutes of petting.

Must ... not ... comment ... must ... be ... strong ...

[Laura Earl]

PING

[petconservative]

"First of all we called the police as we feared for a moment that we must have run over and seriously injured a cat,"

People in Germany call the police when they run over a cat? And usually when cats are run over, they aren't "seriously injured". They're flattened.

[NautiNurse]

True, but it makes for a lot of 3-legged cats.

and stubby short tails.

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

One morning several years ago, my husband woke up to the sounds of a girl screaming. He ran outside to find that his neighbor's teenage daughter had turned her car on without knowing that her cat was under the hood. He said that the girl was hysterical and that the cat wasn't in very good shape either.

[TheRightResponse]

After the couple noticed noise from underneath:

Elisabeth: "Look Dieter, einen Pussy!"

Dieter: "Ja, Elsa, und hier ist mein Spearstucker!"

[AnAmericanMother]

Well, they probably weren't speaking English . . .

The German is "Mieze" . . . I've heard it used as the equivalent of "honey" or "young girl", but not as the, er, equivalent of the English slang.

Since my German is mostly of the academic variety, though, I'm ready to stand corrected by a native speaker conversant with slang . . .

[TheRightResponse]

Apologies to those who really know German!

[wizardoz]

Yep. Always bang on the hood, honk the horn, make a lot of racket before starting up.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Funny name for a cat.

[ChewedGum]

That was what I was thinking. Is cat smushing a crime in Germany? Were they just turning themselves in?

Gum

[AxelPaulsenJr]

I think it was James Bond who named the pussy.