The 9-month-old kitten just wanted a warm, secluded place to rest. But he wound up with a thrill ride down the New Jersey Turnpike and a parade of attention.
Dubbed Miracle, the gray-and-white cat survived under the hood of a sport utility vehicle for about 60 miles on Dec. 23, remarkably avoiding serious injury from moving parts and heat. Miracle was rescued when another traveler spotted the cat through the wheel well and flagged the SUVs driver to pull over.
Now, Miracle is recuperating at the Animal Welfare Associations shelter in Voorhees, N.J., arriving there with a missing claw and burns on his fur and the pads of his feet.
Other than being burned, he's amazingly OK, says AWA director Karen Dixon-Aquino.
The story has also attracted plenty of media attention, and lots of cat lovers have inquired about the possibility of adopting Miracle. Dixon-Aquino says that the shelter will keep Miracle for at least another week before sending him to a new home, allowing him to rest a little more and recover from upper respiratory problems.
Posted: Jan. 5, 2006, 3 p.m. EST