One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Lil Kitty Takes 8-Mile Ride Stuck In The Bumper Of A Car
The lil kitty. (Photo by County of San Diego Dept. of Animal Services via Facebook)
A lil kitty went on a big adventure in San Diego County this week.
The brave/confused/dumb cat, named Gnocchi (!!) got stuck in the bumper of a car in Santee on Friday, unbeknownst to the driver, who drove about 8 miles before she was stopped by people who noticed that a cat was sort of...dangling out of the grill.
According to the County of San Diego's Department of Animal Services Facebook:
It was not until Good Samaritans waved at her to get her to pull over near Kaiser in the Mission Gorge area did she see a cat stuck in her bumper. The cat probably saw several of its nine lives pass before its eyes during the eight mile drive. Luckily, the people were able to rescue the cat from the bumper and our animal control officer brought the cat to the shelter for immediate veterinary evaluation. Amazingly, the cat is fine! And, thanks to a microchip, the cat has already been reunited with its owner (who lives next door to the car owner).
Apparently, there were claw marks on the grill of the car, which suggests that Gnocchi was frantically trying to escape. But he's all good now.
Caryn Clancy took ownership of Gnocchi in the comments of the Facebook post, writing, "This is MY CAT! I am shocked to see what happened to him!! He is home now and acting like nothing happened! I want to assure everyone that he is WELL LOVED and we are so happy to have him safe and sound at home! His name is Gnocchi :)"
I must say, the fact that this cat is called Gnocchi does make me :) as well. What a cute name!
Sponsored message
The driver, Brittany Willis also commented, writing: "I am so incredibly sorry- I had no idea he was in my car when I drove myself and my baby to the hospital. I am amazed he survived and thankful to the group of people who helped break apart part of my bumper to release him. I cried and cried all day- I love cats and have one of my own and am so sorry this happened." It's ok, Brittany. Pretty sure Shakespeare had just rescued a cat from a carriage or whatever when he wrote, "All's well that ends well."
The comment section is actually kind of crazy. One woman weighed in with her own similar anecdote, but in her story, just swap out a cat for an I-G-U-A-N-A. What:
My iguana did the same thing years ago. We went from Santee to Lakeside to Grossmont center before I discovered him almost 8 hrs later. I was working at the mall and all the security guards where trying to catch him when a coworker came in and told me what was going on. I went out to see if I could help and to my surprise it was my iguana. He came from the wheelwell of my truck and went into the hood of a minivan. Thr lady that owned the vehicle came out from Macy's and we asked her to pop the hood. I picked him up and all the big security guards were freaking out because they were all afraid of him.
"My iguana did the same thing years ago." A phrase I'm getting tired of hearing, quite frankly!!
Anyway, the moral of the story is: next time you get into your car, double check and make sure a cat or iguana isn't stuck in the grill. Post your own stories of animals being trapped in the bumpers of your cars in the comments!
Related: Remember Toonces?
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
