Police, DPW Take Cop Car Apart To Rescue Trapped Kitten

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A terrified kitten that got trapped within a police car was saved thanks to a local animal rescue group, some police officers, and some DPW employees.

North Haledon Police Officer Nicholas Florio was flagged down by someone in Hawthorne who found the kitten. The kitten escaped from the resident and ran underneath the police car, lodging herself in the undercarriage, said Megan Brinster, executive director of the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge (RBAR), a nonprofit animal rescue organization based in Oakland.

Florio carefully drove the car to the North Haledon Department of Public Works and it was put on a lift. Police and the DPW employees carefully took the car apart to find the kitten. DPW Superintendent Billy Graham pulled the kitten out of the engine, Brinster said.

RBAR got a call from the police about Cuffs and rescued her. The group brought her to an animal hospital for treatment. The cat had a broken pelvis and some minor injuries. She is being fed with a syringe and her prognosis is good, Brinster said.

"We're over capacity and over budget in the busiest kitten season in years, but we heard of Cuffs' story and it moved us," Brinster said. "It's one of the few calls from police about an animal that involves a happy ending."

Cuffs is expected to be up for adoption soon. RBAR has launched an online giving campaign to raise money for her care and recovery.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com