SPCA rescues cat from vehicle’s engine at Westgate

The Roodepoort SPCA were key in a rescue operation in the parking lot of Westgate Shopping Centre this afternoon.

A white kitten had become stuck below the engine of a silver VW Golf TSi and a shopper, having parked her vehicle in the adjacent parking space heard it meowing at around 10.15am.

Jessica Brown, 21, who had gone to Westgate to shop around for cosmetics said she heard the kitten and couldn’t help but to look for it.

“I realised it had become stuck below the engine,” Brown said, adding that “eyewitnesses said the kitten was stuck in a red Toyota earlier today and once it was freed, it fled to this vehicle.”

Brown made her way to Westgate Centre Management to report the problem but was not happy with their response. Allegedly one of the mall managers told her the kitten being stuck doesn’t warrant a mall-wide announcement.

“On top of that they didn’t want to come to the scene — they only arrived on scene an hour after it was reported and after I told them I had alerted the record.”

“If it’s a child, the man said to me, they would have alerted all the shoppers — but it seems animals don’t matter to them,” Brown said.

According to marketing manager Dean Campbell and brand manager Nick Mathews, it was centre management that alerted the Roodepoort SPCA to the scene. Mathews also said they didn’t bluntly refuse to announce it and wanted to announce the registration number of the vehicle.

Once there, Roodepoort SPCA inspector Charmaine Joubert and manager Mandy Cattanach got underneath the vehicle and attempted to coax the kitten out of the bonnet with cat food and cold meats. Their attempts failed. Through her contacts Cattanach later managed to ascertain the vehicle belongs to the Foschini’s Group and set off to the mall to find the owner.

Owner Lauren Kelbrick was shocked at the news and rushed to the scene with the vehicle’s keys, where they struggled to open the engine hood.

Once it was opened, Cattanach retrieved the kitten. It was dirty and bewildered but didn’t sustain any injuries.

This was the last rescue mission for well-known inspector Charmaine Joubert who will be moving to the Kempton Park SPCA later this month.

The kitten was taken to the Roodepoort SPCA in Maraisburg. Contact the Roodepoort SPCA on 011 672 0448.

View a gallery of the rescue mission at Westgate Shopping Centre here.

Related articles:

• Cradle of Hope donates to SPCA
• SPCA: Adoption made easy
• SPCA’s little slice of heaven for bookworms