This is about two journeys. In the first he lost his cat in a huge interstate pileup in Wisconsin. In the second he will replace the emotional pain of the first by adopting two kittens from the rescues who helped him search for his cat.
Kevin Graves, from California, is doing this for spiritual reasons. He wants to complete the circle and replace the sorrow of the loss of his beloved cat with the joy of adopting two kittens from the same area.
“It’s kind of a cycle sort of thing, where I lost a cat there and now I gain a cat there,” he said. “It just kind of helps me pay my bill. I’m not spiritual, but it’s like a spiritual circle complete.”
The Story
Back on Feb 24 Kevin was driving across country after completing his physics masters degree. It is was a road trip celebration. He was in Wisconsin, near Neenah on Interstate 41 in snowy and icy weather when he suddenly encountered a massive pileup of vehicles, the worst in that state’s history. He couldn’t stop in time and he admits that he was driving too fast as was almost everyone else.
He slid into the piled up vehicles and was then hit eight times himself by following cars. In the car, with him, was his cat, Bastet, and his sister and her dog, a pit bull called Chance. Bastet must have been loose in the car, which is understandable as it was a long journey.
Both Kevin and his sister were not seriously hurt but Bastet ran off through a smashed window. Someone saw her jump over the hood of another car.
She disappeared and a massive search ensued with the help of local rescue volunteers. He is eternally grateful to them for their efforts.
Bastet was eventually found in a pile of wrecked cars in a garage in Neenah where they had been towed after the pileup.
Kevin was devastated when he heard the news.
“Honestly, oh boy, I don’t have the words right now,” Graves told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. “It’s still fresh. I’m pretty torn.”
Comment: It makes me wonder what happened. I’ll have to guess. Bastet must have been injured in the smash. Terrified, she jumped out the car’s window and ran off. She hid in a smashed car that may have been vacated by the owner. Her injury gradually killed her and she died in that strange, cold, wrecked car. The car was towed to the garage where she was found days later.
Kevin cremated Bastet and will return to Wisconsin by air on May 20 to adopt two kittens from one of the animal rescue organisations whose workers helped look for Bastet. He wants to pay the bill as he calls it and complete the circle. He wants to replace the emotional pain of loss with the joy of adopting a couple of kittens.
“I haven’t selected which pair yet, but I’m getting them from either Valley Cats or Almost Home” Kitty Rescue, Graves told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. “They are the two animal rescues that worked with me the most.”
Kevin is known in the area now and he’s become a bit of a celebrity. A flight attendant (we don’t have their name, sadly) has offered to pay to fly the kittens to California. If Bastet had been found alive the same person had offered to pay for her return home.
Comment: I feel the sorrow of loss of Kevin’s sweet tabby female cat. She was quite young. I hope she is up there in cat heaven, high above Wisconsin, when he comes to pick up his kittens, content in the knowledge that her human companion is completing the circle and remembering her.
P.S. Chance, the dog, also ran out of the car but was grabbed. He had cut his head.
The story comes from USA Today. Thanks. Nice one.
I didn’t finish reading the article. I didn’t get any further than the cat was loose in the car and quit. It drives me totally insane when people don’t have their cats in carriers in cars. And, I proffer no apologies for jumping on people when they post memes that they think are funny when they feature cats loose in cars. What are people thinking!!?? Arrrgh…..
Your comment made me smile a little bit. I am smiling at your concern and common sense. Yes, the cat should have been in a carrier of some sort. It certainly would have prevented the tragedy described happening.