“It Rode Like That for 30 Miles.” A Surprising Discovery Under the Hood

Mason lives outside the city and regularly drives into Lansing, Michigan. After one of those routine trips, he got a surprise he definitely wasn’t expecting. When he opened the hood of his older Ford pickup, he discovered a kitten curled up on top of the battery.

“My wife immediately realized it was a young cat,” Mason said. “She’s tiny, so she must have climbed in while the truck was parked. She settled in between the battery and the strut tower and ended up riding under the hood for about 30 miles. She was tucked in comfortably, so nothing touched her.”

“I was honestly blown away,” he added. “I’ve driven about a million miles in my life, and I’ve never seen anything like this. My wife and I decided—if she climbed into our truck, then she’s our cat now.”

The incident happened last week. For the first few days, Mason says, the kitten mostly stayed close to the radiator to keep warm. Since then, she’s started to settle into her new home.

According to Mason, their new pet is calm, well-mannered, and quick to learn. When it came time to choose a name, they leaned toward French-inspired options.

“We had a few ideas—La Marseillaise, Marquise—and we ended up choosing Marquise. Then we shortened it to Mara, and that’s the name that stuck.”

It’s a heartwarming story with a happy ending. Cats often seek warmth on car hoods, and some crawl into engine compartments, where it’s even warmer. But that space contains moving parts. If an animal doesn’t get out before the engine starts, it can be seriously injured by cooling fans or drive belts.

In this case, everything turned out fine—and the kitten not only survived the ride but also found a new home and caring owners.