Kitten dragged under car for 8km – and survives
Meet Crashplate, Empangeni's luckiest kitten.
JUST over a month old, and already Crashplate the kitten is one down with eight of his nine lives to go.
Funny name for a cat, you say?
The story about how Crashplate was christened thus is one of bravery and sheer luck.
When he was but a tiny, two-week-old fur ball, Crashplate (no doubt owing to the inquisitive nature of kittens) decided to explore the underbelly of a parked bakkie.
Unfortunately, he got his head and paws stuck inside a small hole in the protective plate underneath the oil sump of the Hilux.
The driver of the vehicle, who had no clue of the situation, got in her bakkie and drove from her home in Ngwelezane all the way to Sanlam Centre in town.
Survival instinct
With his tiny head just a few centimetres from the boiling hot sump, Crashplate was transported underneath the bakkie for 8km.
Luckily, he was small enough not be dragged on the tar road, escaping very serious injury.
Empangeni SPCA Inspector, Roland Fivaz, was alerted by a shopper at Sanlam Centre who happened to notice the hapless kitten dangling from the vehicle, and rushed to the scene.
‘It was a boiling hot day,’ recalled Fivaz.
‘When I arrived, he was so distressed, I couldn’t get him free.’
After a quick consultation with a local vet, Fivaz used an insulin needle to administer a tiny dose of sedative.
‘As soon as I injected him, his muscles relaxed and I was able to free him.’
Crashplate survived his ordeal with nothing more than slight dehydration, a small burn to his nose and two small cuts on his front paws.
Crashplate was quickly adopted by a new mommy at the Empageni SPCA, but now he is looking for a loving home to enjoy his remaining lives.
Contact the Empangeni SPCA on 035 792 9129.
Read more kitten stories HERE
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