The cat is now nicknamed "McDonald's," after being discovered inside the engine at the drive-thru of the Ashland fast food chain location.
Crista McKinnon of Framingham said the sound was unmistakable when she finally stopped her Nissan to get her coffee.
"Doesn't that sound like a kitty or cat meowing?" she asked the McDonald's worker.
The worker agreed. McKinnon and the employee then popped her hood.
"Sure enough, there was a kitty right in there," she said.
That cat took an amazing five-mile ride from McKinnon's apartment complex in Framingham all the way to the drive-thru.
Ashland animal control officer Dona Walsh is still shocked the cat was not injured.
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"It was just, like, so wedged in there," said Walsh. "I don't even know how it got there."
Walsh says the cat was so stuck, firefighters came in to help and moved the car's air cleaner out of the way.
"As carefully as we could, just kept maneuvering it and pulling," said Walsh. "It took about, probably three or four minutes of us trying to work it until we got it out."
McDonald's the cat is now at the Ashland Animal Control shelter, a little scared and tired and waiting to go back home.
The pet is healthy and groomed, leading Walsh to believe he or she belongs to someone.
To reach Ashland Animal Control, call (508) 881-0122.
