A cat was rescued last night after being trapped inside a car engine at Amberfield Crest Estate in Centurion.
The rescue operation was led by Hermien Grobler from the South African Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, who was alerted to the situation by a concerned resident at about 21:30.
Grobler said when she arrived at the scene with her partner, they found the bonnet of the car open, with the cat wedged at the back of the engine near the firewall.
“We assessed the situation and tried several times to get the cat out but failed.”
She said they even tried wetting the cat with a hosepipe in hopes that it would exit the confined area, but it remained stuck.
“There wasn’t enough space for us to work as the engine parts didn’t allow us to manoeuvre our hands in.”
Grobler said they faced limited options and decided it would be best to disassemble the engine.
“I requested assistance from the Wierdabrug Sector 2 CPF group, and four members arrived to help.”
She said the CPF members managed to disassemble parts of the engine instead of the entire unit, and after sufficient space was created, they successfully retrieved the cat.
Grobler speculated the cat had sought refuge in the engine due to fear of fireworks.
“We suspect the cat was scared of fireworks and got inside the engine to hide.
“The rescue operation took approximately two hours, with the primary challenge being to free the cat’s head, which kept getting stuck even after its body was pulled out.”
She said they were cautious to avoid injuring the cat, as they were uncertain whether it had any pre-existing injuries.
“After the cat was rescued, it was taken to a veterinarian for examination, where it was confirmed that the cat had no injuries.”
Grobler offered advice to pet owners on how to keep their pets safe, particularly during times of heightened noise.
She urged residents to keep their pets indoors and not to leave them alone.
She further recommended that pet owners buy calming tablets from veterinarians or pet shops to help ease their pets’ anxiety during stressful situations.
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