Technicians rescue cat stuck in car’s engine

BANGOR – Hours after she was rescued Thursday morning from the engine of a luxury automobile, the small, mostly black cat was resting comfortably at the Brewer Veterinary Clinic, where her injuries were being attended to by Dr. Robert Feher.

How the cat, believed to be a stray, came to be stuck under the hood of Dr. Dennis Shubert’s 2000 Mercedes-Benz E430, how long it had been there and exactly where it climbed aboard remained a bit of a mystery Thursday.

The few things that were known were that the cat had been in the car since at least Wednesday, when the Bangor neurologist began to experience mechanical problems while traveling near Augusta.

Next came a harrowing 80-mile ride behind the wrecker hired to tow Shubert’s car back to Bangor that night. The wild ride was followed by a night stuck inside the car’s engine.

Rescue for the cat, who sports patches of white on her chest and front paws, didn’t come until Thursday morning, when a technician from the Quirk service center on Hogan Road began working on the car.

Though an animal was suspected to be at the root of the car’s mechanical troubles, no one expected to find a live specimen in the car.

Just after 7:15 a.m., Michael Beylerian popped the car’s hood and spotted patches of black fur. Because he did not hear any sound, he figured the critter had died and kept working. Minutes later, he and a fellow mechanic caught a glimpse of two shining yellow eyes.

“We were shocked. We both jumped back and said, ‘It’s alive,'” he said.

At that point, the repair job turned into a rescue operation, Beylerian said.

First, Beylerian removed the fan shroud and then he removed the fan. Because the cat’s tail and one of its hind legs were tangled up in it, Beylerian had to cut the exterior fan belt off. The extrication procedure took just over an hour, he said.

“I’ve heard of this happening, but I’ve never had it happen to me,” the technician said. “This cat’s lucky to be alive.”

Once freed, the feline was gently lifted out from underneath the car’s hood and placed in a box, while the staff at Quirk’s tried to figure out what to do next.

The cat didn’t belong to Shubert and nobody knew where she lived before climbing into Shubert’s engine. She was wearing no collar or tag, leading her rescuers to believe she was a stray, at least in recent months. That she purred so readily, didn’t try to scratch anyone and seemed not to fear humans suggested she probably has spent at least part of her life near people.

About the time the cat was freed, salesman Mark Wirta dropped by the repair garage to see what all the ruckus was about.

Though some suggested turning the cat over to the Bangor Humane Society, Wirta said Thursday that he was concerned for her survival.

“I decided to take it upon myself to take her to a vet,” Wirta said.

According to Feher, the cat’s injuries include a dislocated hip and large gashes on her abdomen and tail.

If the old adage about cats having nine live is to be believed, “she probably used up seven in this episode,” Feher said late Thursday afternoon. He anticipated a full recovery, though he noted that the feline faces a few more days of recuperation before she is discharged. “The prognosis is great.”

Feher said that injuries from engines are fairly common during cold weather. He said he sees about half a dozen cases a year.

According to Feher, animals sometimes crawl underneath cars for the warmth, darkness and protection. Most stay underneath the vehicles, but occasionally some of the bolder among them venture inside the engine. The injuries typically occur when animals, startled by the car being started, come in contact with moving parts.

Against all odds, this cat tale appears to be heading for a happy ending. For starters, she soon may have a new home and a new name.

“Obviously, if no [owner] comes forward, I’m going to keep her,” Wirta said. “I’m thinking about naming her Mercedes. It’s certainly a well-earned name.”