Told by Sandra Silva Costa, who found Citroën:

How the cat Citroën got his name

July 24, 2021 started like any other day — until the doorbell rang. A woman named Joana (I never caught her last name) told me she saw a kitten crawling into the engine of my car. She was wearing white pants and immediately lay down on the ground to look.

Still in my pajamas, I crawled down too and caught a glimpse of a little yellow tail. We tried everything — knocking, water, food — but the kitten just hid deeper.

The fire department couldn’t help, and it took a while before the police in Santa Maria da Feira answered. When they arrived, they spent 45 minutes carefully rescuing the kitten — dirty, scared, but alive.

My cousin Anabela came with a carrier and food, and Joana took the kitten to the vet. I named him Citroën — because he was rescued from the engine of a Citroën car.

Later, an animal protection group called Cão ou Sem Casa temporarily cared for him and named him Petit Gateau. But fate had more in store.

A few days later, Luisa — who happens to own both a cat and a Citroën — adopted him and decided he should keep the name Citroën. I became his godmother.

Now he lives a happy life — and has long since said goodbye to the car that saved him.