A trapped pussy had to be freed from the engine of a car – owned by a Ms Slocombe.
Just like her fictional namesake from classic TV sitcom Are You Being Served? Ms Slocombe had a problem with a fur-legged friend.
Zoe Slocombe’s near kitastrophe began when she heard pitiful meowing outside her home.
She investigated but could not see anything.
Eventually, she tracked down the noise to the engine of her Fiesta.
Zoe, 25, said: “My dad came out but he couldn’t see anything either.
“It was dark but, by torchlight, we finally saw a tiny furry bum inside the grille. We took a wheel off and saw right into the engine.”
“It was trapped and we had to remove both headlights. Then we managed to pull him out.”
The six-week-old kitten, nicknamed Sparky, was riddled with fleas and very hissy and spitty but Zoe, of Huntingdon, Cambs, wrapped him in a blanket and called Cromwell Vets, who collected him.
Practice manager Julie Eastham said: “He was a stray who had got separated from his mother and had climbed under the bonnet for warmth.
“If it wasn’t for Zoe it would have been a very different outcome for Sparky.
“Even if he did manage to wriggle free, chances are he wouldn’t have survived away from his mum because he was so young.”
“If the engine had been started up he could have been very badly injured or severely burned and would have stood very little chance.
“We handed him over to the RSPCA after worming him.”
Nurse Megan Slack, who cared for Sparky, said he has quickly settled into his new home.
“He’s a lovely playful kitten and already living up to his new name of Turbo,” she said. “He also gets on with their other cat, Ginge,”
“It’s a fabulous home and everyone’s very happy.”
And Ms Slocombe has an amusing cat tale to entertain her colleagues with.
