Durban - A kitten travelled more than 180km, from Empangeni to Gillitts, on top of a bakkie’s fuel tank before the driver discovered it.
The kitten survived the trip on Monday from the North Coast to the outskirts of Durban snuggled between the petrol tank and the chassis of a Ford Bantam driven by Sipho Mthethwa.
Co-owner of Polar Air, Michelle Sinclair, said the company’s drivers had met at the Gillitts Shopping Centre offices on Monday. While they were chatting in the parking lot, one of them heard faint cries coming from one of the delivery bakkies.
“Mthethwa began searching his bakkie, but could not see anything. After about 10 minutes, they could only hear cries. They narrowed the search down to the driver’s side back wheel.
“The drivers tried to feel around, but the space between the wheel and arch was too small for a hand to fit in,” Sinclair said.
The drivers used a jack to lift the bakkie off the ground, high enough to feel above the wheel arch.
Sinclair said they used a cellphone to photograph the space between the petrol tank and chassis. She said when they viewed the pictures they saw a kitten nestled in the gap.
“The guys went around the vehicle to try to coax it out or scare it to one side so we could grab hold of it,” she said.
“Eventually, after 10 minutes of feeling, I grabbed the kitten by the neck. It was hissing and snarling when I brought it out.”
The cat came out unscathed, with no injuries or even grease, but was a bit dusty.
Mthethwa told Sinclair that he had not stopped anywhere on the journey besides at a petrol station in Empangeni.
Sinclair had taken the yet-to-be-named kitten to the veterinarian where she was de-wormed and given a clean bill of health.
The grey-and-white kitten is five weeks old.
Sinclair has taken to Facebook to find a suitable name for the kitten. The story has touched the hearts of many Facebook followers.
“We are thinking of calling her Dusty. Her unlucky trip turned out to be a lucky day,” she said.
After spending a day in the office with Sinclair, the kitten has found a home with the Sinclairs.
She will share the lawns with three dogs and two other cats.
Daily News