According to messages and videos shared with KTLA on Saturday, the abandoned kitten found his new home after a car full of children was pulled into the Kajon Pass.
Through her Instagram account @MRSMCCAFFREY, Ryann McCaffrey told KTLA that traffic was moving slowly when she spotted a kitten in the centre divider on July 28th. She said she stopped and left and tried to cax the animal safely.
After the first attempt failed, she used a slice of ham for the child’s lunch and “to show that I was not a threat.” The kitten had her mouth open and “it felt very hot,” she said.
The footage shows McCaffrey approaching the cat as he perched against the wall between the lanes. Hiss of the Animal; McCaffrey grabbed him off the shelf and swung him quickly with one hand. Still, she continued to rescue her and carried the young cat safely.
McCaffrey said she and her family were on their way to the bishop for their annual trip when she and her family found the kitten. They took the animals to the car, stopped by the pet store for supplies, and continued to be bishop. So the vet sedated the kitten for the exam. Veterinarians told the family the cat was about nine weeks old, wild, had two worms, and was covered in fleas, McCaffrey said.
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The family finished their trip early and returned to Temecula, where they isolated the kitten in the garage for other household pets. McCaffrey said cats eat, drink and use trash cans. To help him adjust, she and her family sit nearby, talking and reading aloud.
McCaffrey also addressed online comments about the moment in the video when her husband suggested putting the cat on “back” and noted that they drove the truck in the shell and that he was much more supportive.
“The biggest scream to my husband, Matt McCaffrey, was that when I went to another of my crazy adventures, he was so kind and supportive that we went to high school together and made our kids younger,” McCaffrey said. “He allowed me to stay home and become a mom and raise them. That’s really the biggest blessing.”
McCaffrey also said that the attention on the video sparked a conversation about the dangers of abandoning pets, and encouraged kindness online.
Since Kitty’s rescue, McCaffrey has shared several more videos of their new family, documenting his progress. Under her latest video, McCaffrey said in a comment asking if the kitten had a name, “Not yet, but I was calling him a bug.”
Sambader contributed to this report.
