Cat Unscathed After Interstate 10 Big Rig Crash Sends Owner To The Hospital
BANNING (CBSLA) — A cat that travels the country in a big rig is spending some time with the Riverside Department of Animal Services after a crash that sent her owner to the hospital.
The cat, who relatives of the owner say is named Miss Kitty, escaped the Aug. 20 crash on Interstate 10. Miss Kitty's owner, who is from Arkansas, was resting in the big rig at the time of the accident and suffered injuries that required hospitalization, according to animal services officials.
"Her cat is her pride and joy," Jaimie Taylor, the daughter-in-law of Miss Kitty's owner, told animal services officials. "She always travels with my mother-in-law when she is on the road."
Miss Kitty first spent some time with California Highway Patrol officers at their local station in the San Gorgonio Pass area. An Animal control officer then took custody of Miss Kitty, who is now at the county's shelter in Thousand Palms.
An X-ray did not show Miss Kitty had sustained any serious injuries, but she did seem to favor her back right leg. A county staff veterinarian gave Miss Kitty medication for pain and inflammation.
Miss Kitty will be reunited with her owner when she is released from the hospital. But if a longer hospital stay is required for recovery, animal services officials say they may work with its nonprofit partners to schedule a transport for Miss Kitty back to her owner's family.
