A kitten from New Jersey may be short one or two of her nine lives after she was rescued from a waste compactor just in the nick of time.
Burlington County Regional Recycling Program employee Mark Motta was having a normal day at work on July 8 when he went to check the hydraulics of his truck.
Although those hydraulics were in working order, much to his surprise, there was something else in the compactor: a kitten.
The little stowaway appeared scared and was covered in oil.
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“I happened to see her little head, so I ran to stop my compactor, climbed into the truck and got her out,” Motta told Fox News Digital via Facebook Messenger.
Motta said he’s not sure why he chose to do an extra thorough examination of his truck that day.
Mark Motta, shown here, discovered the cat after he mysteriously felt compelled to do a more thorough inspection of his truck. (Mark Motta)
While “it’s routine to check to make sure everything is working,” he said, “normally, we don’t look through the truck just to make sure everything works.”
He added, “I don’t know why I did it differently that time, to be honest.”
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Motta took the kitten out of his truck and brought her to his plant, where he contacted his safety manager to figure out what to do next.
After “multiple Dawn soap baths,” he said, the kitten was brought to the veterinarian and is now being fostered by that same safety manager until she is ready to be adopted.
“Squishy” was covered in oil and had to have “multiple Dawn soap baths” after she was found, Motta told Fox News Digital. (Mark Motta)
A dilute tricolor cat, the lucky kitten has since been given the name “Squishy” – and she recently had a reunion with Motta.
How Squishy made it into the compactor is a mystery, Motta said.
He said he’s never found any animals in his compactor before.
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Squishy is currently being fostered with the Rise Again Animal Rescue in Hammonton, New Jersey.
The rescue shared pictures of Motta’s reunion on its social media pages and gave a brief update on Squishy’s condition.
Motta and Squishy reunited at the Rise Again Animal Rescue in New Jersey. (Courtesy Mark Motta)
“Squishy has been doing well after her adventures,” the rescue group said.
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On social media, people were delighted to hear that the cat was doing OK and expressed relief that Motta was able to find her before it was too late.
Motta is not able to adopt Squishy, but he hopes that she is able to find a good home.
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“She is a cuddler and a sweet girl,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Rise Again Animal Rescue for further comment.