A small orange cat suffered burns over 25 percent of his body after getting trapped inside the engine of a car as a driver traveled to work in Philadelphia earlier this week.
"The fact that he survived ... the drive is pretty incredible," said Amanda Cox, founder and executive director of The Grannie Project, a Chester County animal shelter. "The steering wasn't working quite right, and [the driver] looked under the hood and found Mr. Biscuits!"
Once the driver discovered the feline -- after he arrived at work in East Falls -- he contacted animal control, who took roughly two hours to free Mr. Biscuits from the dangerously hot spot in the car, she said.
The Grannie Project rushed the cat to Metropolitan Veterinary Associates, where a veterinarian with experience dealing with burned animals rushed from her home -- arriving in pajamas with a baby in tow, she added.
Cox said the treating veterinarians told her Mr. Biscuits, who was initially named Engy, was burned so severely -- he had a gaping hole in his back -- that he may have caught fire during the drive.
As the injured cat began his recovery, shelter workers decided to rename the animal because his moniker reminded them of his time stuck in the car engine.
"Upon hearing that when he arrived at the vet, he was kneading, popularly known as making biscuits, with his paws, he became Mr. Biscuits," Cox explained. "We think it really fits him."
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It is common for cats to crawl under car hoods to stay warm, but Cox said this is the first time they treated an animal that got caught in an engine.
“It's hard to say how many cats are injured or killed each year in car engines,” she said. “Most cats that seek shelter in engines and are unfortunate enough to still be there when the car is turned on aren't as lucky as Mr. Biscuits. Most of them are killed.”
She emphasized the importance of honking and knocking on the hood of your car before ignition to allow any animals to escape.
Shelter staff thoroughly cleaned the cat's wounds, but Mr. Biscuits will need continued care and additional surgeries, Cox said.
The cost to treat Mr. Biscuits is mounting for The Grannie Project, leading the organization to start a fundraiser to help pay for his treatment.
“Every dime goes directly to paying the vet bill for Mr. Biscuits care,” said Cox. “[…] His initial assessment and stabilization was over $1,500 and his costs right now are running about $750/day.”
Mr. Biscuits still needs time to recover before he can be placed for permanent adoption, but one kind person has committed to fostering Mr. Biscuits while he heals.
