It started out as an ordinary day for one Indiana woman, but what she witnessed on her drive home would stay with her for a long time.
From a distance, she noticed something small and fluffy darting across the road. It was hard to tell exactly what it was, but the frightened creature was clearly searching for a place to hide.
Then, in a split second, the animal bolted toward a parked car and squeezed itself inside a tire well. Unfortunately, it was now stuck.
That’s when Natalie Bartuszek realized she couldn’t just keep driving. She had to help.
The Tiny Stowaway
As she approached, Natalie soon discovered what the mysterious animal really was: a terrified little kitten.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she pulled her car over, grabbed a towel, and went looking for him. She spotted the kitten darting toward another vehicle but couldn’t see where he disappeared.
“He was absolutely petrified. He kept running away from me. He started heading back towards the traffic, and I cut him off,” Bartuszek told The Dodo.
After searching around the car, she finally spotted him wedged inside the tire. The kitten had no intention of coming out easily.
“He came out fighting. We placed him in a cat carrier. He was so stressed out. He was panting and just completely fluffed up,” she said.
The little feline was clearly in panic mode. It was obvious he hadn’t had much human contact before, and the entire ordeal had left him terrified.
Luckily, Natalie had experience with cats of her own, so she knew that with time and patience, the kitten would calm down. A quick check confirmed that he wasn’t injured — just scared and defensive.
A Fresh Start For Indy
Natalie reached out to Whiskers of Winfield, an Indiana-based animal rescue organization, who agreed to take the kitten in.
The staff decided to bring him to one of their local adoption events. That’s when Megan Martin, the organization’s social media manager, first met him.
“We had a couple people, like, trying to reach in at him right away. I’m like, ‘No, no, he’s brand new here.’ He was just so scared,” Martin shared.
The team gave the kitten a much-needed bath, removed his fleas, and cleaned him up. Once dry and cozy, he looked like a completely different cat.
The rescuers named him Indy, short for Indiana. Over time, Martin worked closely with Indy to help him settle into his new surroundings. Slowly but surely, he began to trust people.
Soon after, Indy found a wonderful foster family who took him home. There, he discovered a world filled with toys, playtime, and love.
Now, Indy spends his days exploring, learning how to be a house cat, and playing with his foster siblings. Every day brings something new and exciting.
For a kitten who once hid inside a car tire, Indy’s life has completely changed. Thanks to the kindness of one woman and a caring rescue team, he now has the future he deserves.