There was no reason to think twice when Rachel Hodson saw her cat Mars slink outside on Monday morning.

"I didn't anything of it. He's an indoor and outdoor cat, he can come and go as he pleases," the Rathdrum woman said.

It wasn't until she stepped outside and saw the note on her door that she started to worry.

"If you have a cat of this description, give us a call," it read.

The first thing that went through her mind was her cat had been run over, said Hodson, 42.

She was right about a car being involved.

When she called Rathdrum Animal Control, she heard the full story: That Mars had snuck under a car hood in the parking lot of a local child care facility, and snuggled up with the engine.

"I guess they go in there to get their legs warm," Hodson said.

When the driver turned the ignition, Mars was snatched into the fan belt, severing his two back legs and tail.

Somehow, the 2-year-old cat survived. The driver notified animal control, which brought the creature in for treatment at the Kootenai Humane Society.

"They said they were surprised he didn't bleed out," Hodson said. "He could have very well died, so I think it was a miracle."

KHS Executive Director Rondi Renaldo said she cringed when she saw the photos from when the cat was brought in.

"I have a pretty good stomach, and it made me a little nauseous," she said. "It (the hind leg) looked like a spear sticking out of its body."

The KHS veterinarian had to amputate the cat's left hind leg right away. The tail had to go, too.

By Wednesday the feline was faring well on antibiotics, being his usually cuddly self with the staff.

"He's doing much better," Renaldo said.

That evening, Renaldo handed Hodson the white and orange feline wrapped in a towel for the trip home. Its fuzzy head leaned into the fingers scratching behind its ears.

Part of the cat's left side was shaved pink, stitches sticking out where its leg had been. The other hind leg was thin, red and bare. A sewn-up stump remained where the tail had been.

"He's definitely lighter," Hodson said as the fluffy bundle fidgeted in her arms.

Renaldo gave him a kiss goodbye.

"I bet you won't visit that vehicle again, will ya?" she asked.

"I think he learned his lesson," Hodson said with a smile.

Cats sneaking under car hoods isn't so uncommon, Renaldo said.

She advised folks to check under their hoods during the winter, especially if they own outdoor cats.

Renaldo thinks Mars will do just fine, she added.

"I have a friend who has a cat that got both legs caught in a fan belt, and the vet was able to save its life, though it lost both its hind legs," she said. "It scoots around faster than any other animal."

Hodson, who had given the stray cat a home just like she saved her two dogs from shelters, said Mars' mousing days aren't over.

"I think he will learn to adapt with three legs," she said. "He has a long life ahead of him, and has a lot of spirit. We'll love him no matter how he is."