This driver must've forgot to check his cat-alytic converter.
Firefighters are used to getting calls for cats stuck in trees, but this one was just a bit different. A driver pulled up to members from Ladder 158 at their firehouse in Queens on Monday as they were observing a moment of silence during a 9/11 ceremony, saying there was an animal in his engine, according to Lt. Robert Schlaffer.
That's when firefighter Anthony Caliendo, who is also a mechanic, stepped in. He took at look at the car and found a kitten stuck in the wheel well, the department said in an Instagram post.
Unfortunately, getting the frightened feline out wasn't as simple as reaching in and picking it up. Firefighters broke out their tools and were able to get the wheel off — but the difficulties didn't stop there.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
They needed help from an unlikely source.
"There was some kind of bar pinning it down and keeping it from getting out so we used Dawn dish soap and lathered him all up and eventually I was able to pull the kitten out," said Caliendo.
Video showed Caliendo pulling the kitten out from where it was stuck, as others stood by to help out.
News
And there was a happy ending for the feline as well: A member of Engine 311, which shares the firehouse, adopted the kitten.
