Locals rejoiced when a tiny kitten was rescued from underneath the hood of a sports utility vehicle in Sheepshead Bay on Nov. 9.
The kitten — black with white paws and green eyes — was trapped in the engine compartment of a Honda sports utility vehicle for more than two hours on E. 17th Street near Avenue Z. The kitten was finally freed by a police officer at 9:45 pm — but only after an extremely emotional ordeal, said one local who tried coaxing the tiny cat to safety after she heard its yelps.
“I’m hearing a kitten — I knew it was a kitten because I have three cats — crying in distress,” said Veronica Grimm. “I could see the little feet and the tail. I said, ‘Oh my god, it is so little.’ ”
Grimm said she tried freeing the cat from the car for two hours. She bought a flashlight and canned food to coax the kitten out of the vehicle — but she said the anxious animal wouldn’t let her get close enough to grab it. She said she left to grab a bite to eat and when she came back to check on the kitten, Emergency Service Unit Officer Matthew Brander had rescued the cat — which she said turned out to be a ferocious feline.
“I see a cop on his hands and knees,” she said. “The cop told me it cut him through his gloves.”
Grimm said even though the kitten was more rambunctious than she imagined, seeing the tiny terror rescued was a purrfect way to end her night.
“It was so wild — it was so cute,” she said. “They got it and I was so glad.”
