Meowing led worker to ‘wet and shaking’ kitten in car wash tunnel. Meet ‘Turbo Rinse’

A car wash worker followed the sound of meowing until she found a tiny orange kitten, drenched and afraid inside the cleaning tunnel, an Ohio animal shelter said.

It happened at the Ultimate Shine Car Wash, in the town of Washington Court House, the Fayette Regional Humane Society said in an Aug. 21 news release. Washington Court House is roughly 40 miles southwest from Columbus.

The kitten was likely hiding under a vehicle, and when it entered the tunnel, he went with it, according to the rescue group.

“When the car entered the wash, the powerful turbo blasters likely flushed the kitten out from its hiding spot and into the path of the high-pressure water jets,” the shelter said.

Kierra Mills found the tabby cat, which the shelter said is at the most 6 weeks old and carried him to safety.

“He looked terrified, soaking wet, and shaking, so I brought him inside our main office and began drying him off as quickly as I could,” Mills said, according to the shelter.

The car wash handed the kitten over to the shelter, where staff gave him a check-up and appropriately named him “Turbo Rinse.” Despite what Turbo Rinse went through, staff say he was “miraculously” uninjured.

“This could have ended very differently if not for the attentiveness of the car wash staff,” Brad Adams, Chief Humane Agent at the shelter, said. “It’s a reminder to always check under your vehicle, especially if you have cats or kittens on your property.”

Turbo is being treated, neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, and soon all he’ll need is a loving home.

For more information on how to adopt, visit the Fayette Regional Humane Society website, or call the shelter at 740-335-8126.

This story was originally published August 25, 2024 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Meowing led worker to ‘wet and shaking’ kitten in car wash tunnel. Meet ‘Turbo Rinse’."