A three-week-old kitten was rescued from a car's engine Monday.

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Police say around 1:30 p.m. a driver kept hearing a cat's meow as he drove down Route 1. He called Beltsville Fire/EMS for help.

Lt. Harold McCall, with the Beltsville Fire Department, said, "We could hear the meow the whole time. But every time we tried to get underneath and reach and get it, we couldn't get it."

After 45 minutes, firefighters were able to coax the cat out by banging on engine parts until it appeared from its hiding spot in the warm engine.

"We knew the cat was in the front part of the car near the headlight, so we put the tool behind it kind of tapped it on the back and pushed it forward and right in plain view,' explained Beltsville firefighter Josh Stuhler. "...then we had a firefighter snatch it out."

The kitten, appropriately named "Colombo" to reflect the day it was rescued - Columbus Day -  was in good shape and taken back to the firehouse. It will go home with a firefighter in the morning.