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Big Rig Kitty Survives Wreck; Receiving Care

August 24, 2020

Miss Kitty’s Owner Remains in Hospital After Crash

A cat inside the cab of a tractor-trailer survived a crash last week and is continuing to receive care at the county’s Coachella Valley Animal Campus.

The cat’s owner remains hospitalized after the Aug. 20 accident on Interstate 10 in Banning. The owner, a resident of Arkansas, was resting in the big rig at the time of the accident. She and her colleague suffered injuries that required hospitalizations.

According the California Highway Patrol, an accident occurred shortly after 7 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near 8th Street. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

CHP employees briefly cared for the cat at its local station in the San Gorgonio Pass area. A Riverside County animal control officer retrieved the cat and transported it to the county’s shelter in Thousand Palms.

Dr. Sara Strongin, a county staff veterinarian, sedated the female, domestic, short-haired feline after it arrived. X-rays were performed and it appeared the cat did not suffer any serious injuries. It seemed to favor its back right leg. Dr. Strongin administered a medication for any potential pain or inflammation.

According to relatives, the cat’s name is Miss Kitty. A daughter-in-law of the owner, Jaimie Taylor, contacted Animal Services after learning of the accident. “Her cat is her pride and joy,” Ms. Taylor said. “She always travels with my mother-in-law when she is on the road.”

Animal Services will be making every effort to reunite Miss Kitty with her owner after she is released from the hospital. If her owner needs a lengthy hospital stay for recovery, Animal Services may work with its nonprofit partners to schedule a transport for Miss Kitty to be sent to her owner’s family.