Update December 30, 2018
The senior cat from the Christmas Eve fatal accident was located this morning before daylight by Candace McMahen who does TNR in Cabarrus County. Candace bought a Thermal imaging camera which allowed her to see infrared images in the dark. The cat was located around 50 feet from the accident site. Candace didn’t have a carrier on her at the time and placed the kitty in her jacket to bring her up the hill. Volunteers will continue to look for the younger cat!
This article is directed to Cabarrus County, North Carolina feral cat caregivers. Please be on the lookout for 2 cats who survived a fatal wreck on Christmas Eve. The cats escaped their carriers in the Concord Mills area.
The Charlotte Observer reported December 24 that “One person was killed Monday afternoon in a five-car crash on Interstate 85 South near the Cabarrus County line, according to Medic. Another person was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Medic said.”
From what I’ve gathered the vehicle was hit from behind and pushed out into traffic. I don’t know the name of the woman killed. The vehicle was thoroughly searched for the cats and cat fur and none was found. Her family would very much like to find her cats because they were very much loved.
Cats believed to be in the Concord Mills area:
A team of trapping experts has been searching and setting traps since the accident. None of the news media reports have even mentioned the cats at this time.
The best bet of finding the cats is for everyone in the Concord Mills area to be on the lookout for new cats who show up to eat. To put dozens of people on the ground searching would more than likely scare the cats into hiding (which they may still be doing since experiencing such a traumatic event).
You can help by sharing this article with everyone you know in the Charlotte/Concord, NC area. Post it on your wall and in groups with the words “survived fatal wreck in Cabarrus County, NC.” This will make it easier for people to know who they should share with.
The team searching for these two cats would like to stress there are experienced trappers there now and no more help is needed. The more people who are saturating the woods the more likely they are to run. And possibly toward the interstate.
Our hearts go out to the family of the young woman killed.
Contact for sightings is Leslie Giguere Main via Facebook or by email at main533@gmail.com
Follow Elisa on Facebook and Instagram.
Source 1.
I am so happy Candace got the older cat not far from the crash site early this morning using the Thermal camera she bought yesterday!
It wasn’t apparent in the photo what kind of center divider this freeway had between the different directions of traffic. Here in Milwaukee we have a double row of those wedge-shaped concrete forms. This leaves a space between the two rows of barriers. I read a few years ago how a pet that escaped a crashed car hid inside that divider until the officer who handled the call though to come back and look inside the barrier. If this freeway has a similar barrier, could someone suggest to the Police/Hwy Dept to search inside it?
Thanks for your suggestion Karen.
Searching for cat fur in the vehicle?
I had been reading the comments in the OP. The local rescuers have plans and are communicating.
They wanted to be sure the cats weren’t dead in the car. From what I heard the back seat was squished into the front seat.
Terrible. And the cats might even think that to find their lost owners, that they’d be found on the interstate. Very bad situation.