Dalton firefighters rescue kitten from car engine

Published 8:00 am Saturday, September 21, 2024

They say a dog is man’s best friend. Well, a firefighter may be a cat’s best friend.

In June, three Dalton firefighters responded to a call downtown about a cat trapped in a car’s engine.

“When we arrived, we found a kitten trapped in the engine compartment,” said Firefighter Garrett Krout. “It was pretty tough to get to. We had to take the car apart a little to get to it.”

For Krout, who joined the fire department last year, this was his first time rescuing a cat, but fellow Firefighters Austin Payne and Dwayne Pangle are old hands at that.

“We probably had to take the car apart more this time, but I have helped get a cat out of a car before,” said Payne.

They’ve also rescued cats from trees and even electrical lines.

The firefighters say it’s not unusual for cats to crawl into the engine compartment in the winter to keep warm but it’s less common for them to do it in the summer.

“The kitten was a little bit scared and it sort of latched onto (Pangle),” said Krout. “I grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and held it to my chest. I took it home, and after about two weeks, it was the sweetest cat you could see. It’s a barn cat now, and seems to be really happy.”

Krout has named the cat Smokey.