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PALM COAST, Fla. —A kitten born in the wild in Daytona Beach has a new home with a family in Flagler County, and the little guy went to great lengths to find his adoptive family.
The kitten took a ride under a car.
"He's a lucky cat, very lucky," Robert Avery, who found the cat, told NBC News.
The tiny creature got a rough start in life, born feral in a parking lot. Then, he took a really rough ride.
"I got my drop cord and looked under there, and a little kitten was wedged in between the suspension," Avery said.
Avery has taken the cat in.
Avery works for the housing authority in Daytona Beach but lives 38 miles north in Palm Coast. He cruised home Monday night going at least 65 mph with the kitten wedged above the tire between the suspension and the frame.
Avery didn't know it until the next morning.
"I heard a noise, and I was in the garage. I kept listening, and I thought it was a frog," he said. "My son and I jacked the car up and about 30 minutes later, we finally got him out."
There are still specks of oil on the cat's nose and in his ears, but Avery said when they first spotted him, he was a mess.
"He was filthy. He was nasty. He was covered. He was a nasty little fellow," Avery said.
They named the tough cat Butch for his survival skills and Avery said the entire family has fallen in love. Avery said he'll never get in his car again after work without checking the vehicle to make sure nothing that doesn't belong is on board.
