NEWS: State Senator Finds Kitten Under SUV’s Hood
State Sen. Frank Farry had an unexpected start to his trip to a conference in Bethlehem last week when he discovered a small kitten nestled in the engine compartment of his SUV.
Farry, a Republican who also serves as chief of the Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company, was just leaving his Langhorne Borough home when he heard unusual noises coming from his vehicle.
“I heard this noise in my car. I’m like, what is that? So I turned the radio down,” Farry said. “I think there’s an animal in my car that sounds like a cat.”
After pulling over to investigate, Farry initially checked the wheel wells but couldn’t locate the source of the meowing.
It wasn’t until he turned off the engine and popped the hood that he found the small tan kitten staring back at him.
“The cat sees me and it backed in the engine compartment further,” Farry explained.
Facing a tight schedule due to his speaking engagement at the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Convention, Farry contacted the Middletown Township Police Department’s animal control officer for assistance.
Animal Control Officer Cheyenne Keen responded to the scene and successfully removed the kitten from its hiding spot.
Keen then transported the animal to the Women’s Animal Center in Bensalem Township for care.
Following his speaking engagement and a stop in Doylestown, Farry visited the animal center to check on the tiny kitten.
“She’s doing good. She had some fleas. They got her bathed and cleaned up,” Farry reported. “They said she was not malnourished.”
The origin of the kitten remains unknown, but Farry speculated it may have sought refuge in his engine to escape a potential predator.
“My neighbor did tell me that there’s been a fox in the area recently, so she may have tried to not be dinner the night before,” he said.
The Women’s Animal Center has temporarily named the kitten “Frankie” after Farry.
“She’s not up for adoption yet,” Farry said. “They have about a week of quarantining or intriguing or doing some different things.”
Nicole McGerry, communications director for Farry’s office, noted that the Women’s Animal Center is planning a special adoption event for kittens.
The center is hosting a “kitten shower” on Thursday, May 15, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at its location at 3839 Richlieu Road in Bensalem Township to celebrate the recent influx of newborns.