Seen on NJ highway: Kitten hitches ride under truck

MORRISTOWN — A kitten will be OK after hitching a ride on the underside of a tractor trailer on Monday.

Lori Banchi of the Morristown Animal Hospital got a call from a friend who is a police officer in Summit after people signaled to a trucker on Route 24 that he had something under his vehicle.

It was a 5-month-old kitten.

"Summit police responded and they crawled under the truck and managed to get it out.  She was a little scared and hesitant to let them grab it," Banchi said.

The driver had no idea he had an unexpected passenger and was wondering why drivers were honking and trying to get his attention, Banchi said.

The cat was covered in bugs and hot grease.

"Medically, it seems fine. There's nothing really wrong with it. It's just petrified," Banchi said.

One of her co-workers came up with the kitten's name, Miracle. Banchi said the were trying to go with a trucker-themed name but settled on Miracle because it she was lucky to survive.

Miracle will eventually be put up for adoption but until then Banchi is fostering Miracle and bringing her to work so she gets attention.

The nonprofit 911 Dog & Cat Rescue  accepts donations of canned cat food, kitty litter, toys and cash in order to continue their work.