On scene as Prince William police rescue kitten from sweltering car

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — Police officers came to the aid of the defenseless today.

Potomac Local was there when they pulled a kitten from the inside of a 120-degree car parked in the hot sunlight outside the Coverstone Apartments complex in the 10900 block of Coverstone Drive near Manassas.

The kitten appeared to be dehydrated and had been left not only inside the sweltering Honda Civic but also in a kennel left in the back seat. Outside air temperatures hovered about 90 degrees when the cat was rescued about 4 p.m. Thursday.

After removing it from the unlocked Civic, officers placed it in an air-conditioned police cruiser. They gave it water, and afterward, the kitten appeared to perk up, clearly happy to be out of the heat.

An apartment complex manager called 911 to report the kitten inside the car, said another apartment complex employee who’s worked there 17 years, Daryl Childs.

“She’s the real hero here,” said Childs.

A short time later, a woman and her son emerged from the apartment building to speak with police. The woman told officers the kitten and the Civic belonged to her son, and that it was left there by her son’s ex-girlfriend.

“This is just animal cruelty,” the woman exclaimed.

The woman told police that the ex-girlfriend was not at the apartment complex. Officers asked for the ex-girlfriend’s contact information to question her.

Police used an infrared thermometer to take the temperature of the inside of the car. They also took pictures of the vehicle.

Thousands of pets die each year when left in hot cars, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. The association warns that even if the car windows are cracked open, with an outside air temperature of 90 degrees, temperatures the inside of a car can soar to 120 degrees or more in about 20 minutes.