Mysterious sounds from car engine lead California police to trapped kitten

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Police in California discovered a small kitten trapped in a car engine after hearing strange sounds emitting from the vehicle.

Santa Cruz Police Department shared a photo of an officer holding the tiny, stranded kitten after it was rescued from the parked car.

"SCPD Police Officer Gomez heard a desperate meowing coming from a car in the PD parking lot," police said. "After some 'detective work,' he realized the meows were coming from somewhere inside a car engine."

Officer Gomez opened the hood of the car do discover the kitten near the engine block and managed to rescue it after a temporary struggle.

"After a game of cat-and-mouse under the car hood, Officer Gomez shimmied underneath the car and carefully extracted the tiny kitty cat," police said. "The kitten was covered in dirt and grease but he was unharmed!"

Officer Gomez became enamored with the curious kitten and decided to adopt it immediately after the rescue.