Cat Reunites With Owner After Spending Days Stowed Away Underneath Hood Of Car
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A tough Brooklyn cat used one of its nine lives after surviving a 25 mile snowy trip while trapped underneath the hood of a car.
On Friday night, the cat, named Gumbo, was reunited with his owner, Raven Huang, CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported.
"It feels like a family member came back, and it's really comforting that he's OK," Huang said.
Two weeks ago, Huang was looking for a place to have Gumbo neutered in Brooklyn when before he knew it, the cat escaped from his car.
"I was doubtful of finding him, you know finding a cat that runs loose is very difficult," he said.
Nearly 230 miles away Monday, the Warren County SPCA in upstate New York got a call from security at the Great Escape Lodge in Queensbury.
A family traveling from Brooklyn had just arrived and heard meowing coming from its car. When they looked under the hood, they found Gumbo stuck in the engine.
Chief Humane Officer Jim Fitzgerald believes the cat snuck in before the family left and couldn't get back out.
"It found its way up through the back of the block, and then it had to come up through the front of the engine, and then crawl back down into a compartment," he said.
That made it tricky to rescue him, but in about 20 minutes, Fitzgerald managed to wiggle him free.
"It was lethargic when we took it out, and it was definitely thirsty and hungry," he said.
Gumbo made it out with just a few scratches, despite being stuck for three to four days.
"I don't know if that was like its eighth life or what, but definitely pushing it at 10 years old," Fitzgerald said.
Through Facebook, the SPCA and Huang connected with one another after posts about the cat went viral online.
"It's a big sigh of relief, I feel like there's a lot of things looking over us," Huang said.
He said from now on, Gumbo will wear a leash for trips to the vet.
