On Sunday June 23, an alert passer-by, walking under the Boston Post Road bridge in Station Plaza, thought she heard a parked Chevy Impala say, “Meow.”

 

By Tom McDermott

 

On Sunday June 23, an alert passer-by, walking under the Boston Post Road bridge in Station Plaza, thought she heard a parked Chevy Impala say, “Meow.” RPD officers Lombardo and Washco, arriving on the scene, could hear it too, coming from under the hood.

 

Rye Fire Department Chief Mike Taylor and Firefighter Jim Groglio opened the car with a pole and inflatable device, setting off a loud horn-alarm, which they were able to silence. There was nothing but silence, while the group waited an agonizing fifteen minutes before hearing another faint “meow.”

 

The vehicle’s helpful owner, David Burke, was contacted to see if he owned a cat (he didn’t) and to get permission for a rescue attempt. Peering into the engine, Groglio and Taylor couldn’t see anything until a little black head popped out between the ventilator and engine block. The two men pushed and pulled as the terrified kitten played hard-to-save.

 

Finally, they were able to dislodge the five or six week-old kitty, who Taylor speculated was “probably feral, got separated from his mom, and took cover under the hood.”

 

The kitten was taken, cared for by Groglio’s wife Cathy, and was reported to be getting used to its new name: Chevy.