Brighton cat trapped in car engine for miles survives

One-year-old tabby cat Chi, from Southwick in Brighton, was given emergency care by vets at the PDSA hospital in Robertson Road after it was found trapped in the engine compartment of a car.

The cat’s owner Kaylie Banks, 30, said the grill at the front of the car had to be removed to get her “stressed pet out” after her neighbour heard “noises coming from the engine”.

She said: “I returned home from work and Chi was nowhere to be seen. After turning the house upside down, I began knocking on my neighbours’ doors. No-one had seen her and I was beginning to get worried. One of my neighbours then approached me to say he had found Chi trapped under the bonnet of his car.

“He was driving home when he heard noises coming from the engine. Luckily, he stopped the car and after close inspection he saw little Chi lodged inside. She was very stressed.”

Chi underwent an operation on burns and injuries to her body.

PDSA student vet nurse Sadie Reece said: “Chi’s wounds needed to be cleaned and repaired under anaesthetic. There was a large amount of dead tissue that needed to be removed. The operation was a success and we were able to clean and stitch the healthy tissue back together.”

Ms Banks, a sales consultant at Next, said: “The staff at Brighton PDSA were amazing and treated Chi exceptionally well. It’s thanks to the team that she is recovering well and I am grateful to all who helped during what was a very stressful time for me and my family. Chi is doing amazingly now, we are so glad to have her back, she worried us to pieces, little bugger that she is.”

She said her daughters Courteney, 13, and Lucie, 10, are thrilled to have their pet home safe and sound.

PDSA spokeswoman said: “After recovering from the procedure, Chi was able to go home, complete with a ‘buster’ collar to protect her injuries. Chi was also given antibiotics to treat infection and anti-inflammatory medication to help ensure she was pain-free while recovering. Chi’s wounds are now healing well and she is expected to make a full recovery, thanks to the expert care she received.

“If your pet’s been injured, first aid can make a huge difference. Getting them to a vet practice as soon as possible should be the priority, but knowing the correct first aid can help keep them comfortable and reduce any further damage in the meantime. It can even mean the difference between life and death for your pet.”