Oregon Firefighters Free Cat From Engine of Truck

In a twist on the classic firefighter rescuing a kitten from a tree scene, Gresham firefighters Wednesday freed a cat the engine of a pick-up truck.

According to reports, firefighters responded to an animal rescue call 6:50 p.m. Wednesday in the 3500 block of Northeast 17th Street in Gresham. The truck owner told officials he started his truck to go to work and it stuttered a bit. When he started to drive, the car stuttered again and stalled.

He opened the hood of the truck and found a cat trapped in the engine, stuck between fan belts on the engine.

The truck owner released the fan belts and, with a friend, tried to "poke the cat gently" with a stick to encourage it to leave the engine compartment. It didn't.

When firefighters arrived, the cat was meowing and hissed at personnel who tried to interact with it, according to reports.

The fire crew's apparatus operator donned his thick firefighter coat, helmet and gloves to try to extricate the cat. The costume evidently frightened the cat: When the firefighter peered over the engine and reached for the cat, it dove around the outstretched hands and out the bottom of the truck, running away into the apartment complex grounds, according to reports.

Firefighters reported the cat "appeared unharmed in its haste to exit the vehicle."

Copyright 2012 - The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service