Kitten found under car after New Jersey-to-Georgia trip recovering, to return home

A roughly 10-week-old kitten discovered Aug. 10 beneath a car on the University of Georgia campus after the vehicle had been driven from New Jersey was recovering and is expected to return to New Jersey, Kelly Bettinger, founder of Cat Zip Alliance — Campus Cats, told Fox News Digital.

Bettinger said University of Georgia student Jadyn Sawyer arrived on campus from New Jersey and spotted one of the kitten’s legs dangling from beneath her vehicle. Sawyer called UGA Police, who contacted the campus cat rescue group. Bettinger and volunteer Lisa Donovan said they found the animal wedged into a small space under the car.

Officers could not reach the kitten, Bettinger said, so the car was taken to a nearby Tires Plus. Mechanics put the vehicle on a lift and removed the front driver’s side tire before the kitten could be pulled free, Bettinger told Fox News Digital. The young cat was hot and panting but settled in air conditioning and showed no visible injuries, she said.

A veterinary exam the following day found the kitten healthy aside from a minor upper respiratory infection and coccidia, an intestinal parasite common in outdoor-born kittens, Bettinger said. The kitten, now named Jersey, initially appeared frightened but warmed to rescuers. Bettinger said Jersey is “talkative, playful, likes to be held and really sweet.”

Rita Reimers, a North Carolina-based certified cat behaviorist, told Fox News Digital that kittens often seek shelter in small spaces and can crawl into vehicles. She advised drivers to check around and under cars and to bang on the hood before starting a vehicle. Bettinger said Jersey is staying in a foster home and is expected to be neutered, microchipped and vaccinated against rabies on Sept. 1. Sawyer’s sister and her fiancé in New Jersey plan to adopt the kitten, and rescuers are arranging transportation back to the state where the journey began, Bettinger said.

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