New York journalist finds 'paws' sticking out of her car engine. A trail of notes led her there

It was a rescue day for Journalist Maria Yagoda, who suddenly had to take a day off to save a kitten stuck in her car’s engine. In a heartwarming video posted by Yogada, who goes by @chipandlouiebros on TikTok, a kitten that had been stuck for 12 hours was rescued through a collaborative effort by New York residents. The video was shared on July 17 and has garnered 3.6 million views.

Yogada was running out to work on a random Thursday morning when she learned about the stuck cat. Some strangers had left placards on her car stating that a stray kitten was stuck in the engine. They also left a number behind to confirm the information. Baffled at first, she called her friend and informed her about the situation. It obviously felt strange, so both Yogada and her friend thought it could be a kidnapping trap. But something struck her, and she dialed that unknown number, which turned out to belong to a neighbor she'd never met before.

Within a few minutes, a bunch of Yogada’s neighbors showed up outside her house and explained the whole situation to her. In the next moment, Yogada, with the group, went down on their knees in an attempt to rescue the stray cat. A few hours passed by, but all their actions were fruitless. The kitten refused to step out of the engine. The group decided to call a nearby animal shelter, Greenpoint Cats, and a staff member, Becky Wisdom, came rushing to the site. When she heard the incident, the first thought that came to her mind was “not again,” shared Yogada with Newsweek.

Fortunately, Wisdom had experience rescuing another stray kitten from the same situation just a week before, so she came prepared. She brought a cat from the shelter named Lydia to quicken the process. As part of the rescue operation, Lydia scooted under the car, but the cat was too scared to yield to their rescue operation. After a while, another stray cat was made to interact with the kitten in the engine, but the situation remained tough. However, Yogada and her neighbors were determined to rescue this cat, and so the team decided to set up a trap around Yogada’s car with food, a camera, and cardboard boxes adhered to the vehicle. After engaging with the wires for a whole day, the kitten stepped out off the engine, in search of food, and fell for the trap. Just like that, the stuck stray cat was rescued after 12 full hours.

People online were amazed by the humility of New York residents towards a street cat. “I love how that orange car was just covered in cardboard lol. I'd be so confused if I didn't know what was going on,” shared @troy_lynn. “This is such a sweet story. (Also, not everything is a trafficking trap. I feel like people use that all the time, and I’m so glad you used some critical thinking and helped save this kitten),” said @bookhoarding. “Greenpoint Cats and Becky are the best! I have a Greenpoint cat at home,” @nickelordime chimed in. Impressed by the dedication to work towards saving a cat, PETA also commented on the post, "We’re so glad this little one is safe. What a rescue! Thank you (and everyone who helped!) for not giving up and showing so much compassion."