A kitten has been rescued after surviving an estimated 800-mile journey from New Jersey to Georgia, hidden beneath a college student's car. The roughly 10-week-old feline, now named Jersey, was discovered on August 10 when University of Georgia student Jadyn Sawyer returned to campus and noticed one of the cat's legs dangling from beneath her vehicle.
Sawyer contacted the University of Georgia Police Department, who then reached out to the Cat Zip Alliance, a local nonprofit dedicated to assisting campus cats. Volunteers Kelly Bettinger and Lisa Donovan arrived to find Jersey wedged into a tight space under the car. "I'll admit my heart dropped at first as I thought the kitten wasn't alive, but thankfully he cried and moved when I touched his leg," Bettinger, the organization's founder, told Fox News Digital.
Unable to reach the kitten, officers had the car transported to a Tires Plus where mechanics used a lift to remove the front driver's side tire, allowing Jersey to be freed.
Although hot and panting, Jersey showed no visible injuries and quickly settled in air conditioning. A veterinary examination the following day revealed the kitten to be healthy, with only a minor upper respiratory infection and coccidia, a common intestinal parasite in outdoor kittens. Initially frightened, Jersey has since become more social.
"He's now talkative, playful, likes to be held and really sweet," Bettinger said.
Rita Reimers, a certified cat behaviorist, explained that kittens often crawl into vehicles seeking shelter or protection, noting that if a cat's head fits into a space, its body likely will as well. She advised drivers, particularly in areas with outdoor cat populations, to be cautious and to bang on the hood of their car before starting it, especially during colder months.
Jersey is currently in a foster home and is scheduled to be neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated on September 1. Sawyer's sister and her fiancé in New Jersey intend to adopt Jersey, facilitating his return to the state where his journey began. Arrangements are being made to transport the kitten back to New Jersey in early September in a more secure manner than his initial trip.