Published Oct 23, 2026
Cat Zip Alliance – Campus Cats
Many stories have made headlines about kittens and cats getting stuck somewhere on, under, or in a car, and sometimes even being transported for a few miles or hours before the driver detects their hidden feline passenger.
One gray tabby kitten—who traveled some 800 miles between New Jersey and Georgia while trapped underneath a college student’s car – says, “Hold my beer!”
This wild adventure began in the late summer, when Jadyn Sawyer, a college student at the University of Georgia, was driving back to the Athens campus from home in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. She drove the whole nearly 800 miles unaware that a little kitten was stuck up in the undercarriage of the car. She was shocked when she arrived in Athens and discovered a tiny kitten leg hanging from under the car!
Sawyer called the University of Georgia campus police, and they contacted Cat Zip Alliance – Campus Chapter, a rescue organization that helps community cats around the university. Kelly Bettinger, founder of the rescue, rushed to the campus to help free the kitten. The rescue team was expecting to find the kitten in the car’s engine bay, where kittens usually get stuck. But this gray tabby was wedged into the felt lining of the car’s undercarriage, and he was stuck so tightly that he couldn’t move.
Rescuers took the car to a nearby Tires Plus, where mechanics dismantled parts of the undercarriage to retrieve the kitten. (They generously did this work free of charge to help an animal in need – thanks, Tires Plus!)
“This probably is the craziest stuck-in-a-vehicle story – and the first time we needed a mechanic’s help,” Bettinger tells us. “But we have had some crazy kitten-vehicle-ride stories.”
Bettinger took in the kitten – about 10 weeks old when he was discovered on August 10 – and got him neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. She named him Jersey Boy, because of his roots.
Cat Zip Alliance – Campus Cats
“Jersey Boy is very laid back and chill and over-the-top sweet,” Bettinger tells Cats.com in an email. “He melts in your arms, is a definite lap kitten, purrs up a storm, and honestly is one of the most delightful kittens we have had in a long time.”
Bettinger shared a post on the Cat Zip Alliance – Campus Cats Facebook page seeking an adopter, and it was later updated to bring the happy news that the kitten went home. Meanwhile, the remarkable story about a kitten surviving 800 miles stuck under a car at high speeds spread widely.
“Jersey is a super sweet, gentle, playful, cuddly little boy who gives the cutest little silent meows when you talk to him,” Bettinger wrote in the adoption post. “For his well-being he must go to a home with other kitten/cat companions as he blossoms and thrives with cat companionship. He tried so hard to make friends with a cat figurine/statue when we visited my Mom and her cat ignored him!”
Micki Wisenbaker adopted the kitten, who is enjoying a happy home.
“We are thrilled to have Jersey Boy, now called Jack, as part of our family,” Wisenbaker told the New Jersey news website NJ.
Kittens and cats have a funny way of accessing vehicles and getting stuck there, and sometimes even traveling long distances before they are discovered. We covered the 2025 story of two unrelated felines – one a pet cat in Pennsylvania and the other a stray kitten in New York – who somehow hitched rides on cars and went on treacherous journeys, unbeknownst to the drivers before discovering the furry hitchhikers.
One of these cats, Ray Ray, jumped onto the roof of the Denardo family’s van. He traveled for about two hours, nestled among luggage strapped to the roof, at some 70 miles per hour! The family was shocked when they discovered their Ray Ray on the roof during a stop to fill up the van’s gas tank. Denardo family members took the hint and brought the cat on their vacation with them. You can follow Ray Ray on Instagram at @rayraytails.
The hitchhiking New York kitten, a 7-week-old black-and-white female tuxedo kitten, slipped into the underbelly of a parked car on Long Island. Somehow, she sneaked into the undercarriage somewhere, and the kitten went undetected until the driver heard squeaky meows nearly three miles later! John DeBacker, a Long Island cat rescuer, was called to the scene, and went under the car to pry out the crying kitten. She was named Sunflower and adopted from an animal rescue.
DeBacker also rushed in to rescue another kitten named Stella, whose story we covered. Stella was rescued from the engine bay of a USPS truck in New York City! Stella was trapped somewhere deep in the engine bay and undercarriage of the car, and she was terrified. A team of rescuers, including DeBacker and postal employees, retrieved the kitten. Stella had a happy ending and found her forever home with one of her rescuers.
Despite these heartwarming stories, surely many more cats and kittens who get stuck in cars don’t fare so well. With cold weather on its way, critters including outdoor cats are especially prone to crawl up into a car’s engine area in search of warmth and shelter. It’s a good idea to bang loudly on the hood, honk the horn, and look under your car before driving. And if you find a frightened feline in there, please help the animal!
