Friends save cat trapped in truck

HERE KITTY, KITTY- Above, Sophia Schwartz, right, and her friend Michael work to free a kittetrapped inside the vehicle. Below, the kitty seems relieved and unhurt after its rescue.

When I got home from workon Tuesday, I heard a little tiny meowing near my house. I walked all around my yard trying to track down the sound, which was barely audible.

My 17-year-old daughter, Sophia, and her friend, Michael, were swimming at our community pool. His Ford Explorer was parked at the curb. I realized that the sound was coming from his truck.

I called Michael on his cellphone and began asking him about locking a kitty inside his truck. He replied that there was no way there was a kitten in his truck. They returned quickly from the pool. As they searched the truck more closely, they discovered that there was indeed a kitten inside the grill under the radiator.

Sophia and I ran to get tools. Michael slid under the truck and began undoing the screws that held the radiator pan. Inside we found a young feral kitten, scared but otherwise unharmed.

Michael said that he had heard a weird sound when he was leaving summer school classes in Calabasas, but dismissed it as "just a weird sound" and possibly a prank. He drove all the way from Calabasas to Westlake Village never imagining that there may be a kitty under the hood.

We are still trying to find an appropriate name for our new-found kitty, but "Lucky" is one of the suggestions.We are almost certain the kitty was feral, but if anyone missing a kitty can describe his or her markings, we will gladly return the kitten to its owner.

Terese Schwartz of Westlake Village submitted this story.