Cat who crawled under truck’s hood to escape cold saved at PAWS Chicago

She’s a survivor and she’s going to make it.

Celia, a 1-year-old cat, climbed under the hood of a pickup truck to escape the cold, according to Sarah McDonald, spokeswoman for PAWS Chicago.

The driver didn’t realize she was there and started his truck, entangling Celia in the fan blades. Celia suffered neurological trauma leading to seizures, and she had an extremely low body temperature.

Chicago Animal Care & Control exhausted their medical options and called PAWS for help. Celia was rushed to PAWS’ medical center Saturday, and wasn’t expected to live through the night, McDonald said.

After receiving oxygen, IV fluids and medication for her seizures, Celia is now expected to survive. The fan belt caused lacerations and bruises on her feet and abdomen, which were treated with laser therapy.

“She is very loving and will purr for pets,” McDonald said.

McDonald said outdoor cats often look for heat by crawling under the hoods of cars and reminds drivers to bang on the hood or fender of the car or honk the horn a few times before turning on the engine in the cold weather, just in case.