A California resident who witnessed a woman discarding her elderly cat out of a car has a message for anyone who thinks pets are simply disposable.
Jessica Estrada, 42, was hiking the Two Trees Trail in Riverside on June 4 when she witnessed the unthinkable. As she turned back along the trail, she watched as a woman got out of her car and threw a cat into the bushes. The poor cat ran back towards her, and in a heartbreaking move, the woman picked it up again and threw it back into the bushes before driving away.
Estrada, who already has two rescue cats of her own, was utterly horrified by what she saw. It left her in complete shock, telling Newsweek that it “felt like an out of body experience.” At the time, Estrada was around 30 to 40 feet away, and although she saw everything clearly, she was too far away to intervene.
Nonetheless, she knew she needed to act immediately to save the poor cat who was discarded like trash.
“The timing was heartbreaking, but meant to be because I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise. As a person of faith, I felt God had placed me there at that time to save this poor cat,” Estrada said.
She continued: “The cat was terrified, hissing, meowing, and frozen in place. I tried to get close to comfort him, but he was clearly traumatized and ran deeper into the bushes, looking completely disoriented and stressed. From there, I stayed close so I knew where it was and could point him to help when they arrived.”
It was clear that this was someone’s pet for a long time, and he was totally unprepared to survive by himself.
She’d never been so grateful to have cell service, and she called Animal Control straight away. The only problem was that the officer on duty was over an hour away, and was already heading to another emergency.
Estrada was willing to wait as long as it took. She stayed close to the cat to monitor where he was hiding until someone arrived.
“By some miracle, Park Ranger Jay happened to be doing rounds in the area. When I told her what happened, she jumped into action. She said if I hadn’t found the cat, it likely wouldn’t have survived the night, between the snakes, coyotes, and heat. She immediately called her coworker who brought a cat box to safely transport him to a shelter,” Estrada said.
The cat has since been taken to Riverside County Department of Animal Services where he is up for adoption. He has since been named Joey, and Estrada has kept in touch with the shelter to get updates whenever possible.
While Joey is an elderly cat, he is healthy, stable, and has been neutered, so the shelter assured Estrada that they won’t euthanize him. He will stay at the shelter until he’s adopted and gets a second chance.
Following this ordeal, Estrada shared the footage of the person discarding Joey out of the car on Instagram (@prancing_fox). The video went viral with over 2 million views and more than 149,000 likes in a matter of days.
Alongside the video, she included an important message: “animals are not disposable. Please speak up when you see something wrong. You might be the only chance they have.”
Estrada hopes that whoever tossed Joey aside will see the video and know that he was saved, despite the pain he was caused. She told Newsweek that the person’s actions were “cruel and deeply wrong,” and it made her go home and hug her rescue cats even tighter that night.
She said: “What they did—and the way they did it—suggests something broken inside, and I sincerely hope they do the work to face that and grow from it. Even though this video shows something awful, it’s also brought awareness. Ranger Jay is now being seen for the hero she is, and Joey has become a symbol for why rescuing matters.
“Please, someone rescue Joey. We likely witnessed the worst moment of his life, but someone out there can help make sure his next chapter is full of love, warmth, and safety. He deserves a second chance,” Estrada continued.
After going viral online, the footage has amassed over 4,000 comments on Instagram so far. Many people thanked Estrada and Jay for saving Joey’s life.
One comment reads: “Awesome situational awareness! Thank you for taking action and getting the awesome ranger on the scene with her compassion!”
Another Instagram user wrote: “You have such a kind heart. Thank you for helping the kitty cat.”
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