Kitten goes for 25 mile ride to Palm Springs in car fender

A kitten stuck in the engine compartment of a minivan who survived a 25-mile drive to Palm Springs and a pit bull attack was safe at the Palm Springs Animal Shelter and will be put up for adoption, a police sergeant said Tuesday.

Someone reported the trapped kitten shortly after 9 a.m. Monday in the 600 block of North Commercial Road. An animal control officer learned that the owner of the vehicle, a Dodge minivan, had parked the van at his home in Banning, Palm Springs police Sgt. Mike Kovaleff said.

“Before driving to work on Monday morning, he discovered that his vehicle had been significantly damaged by his four pit bull dogs, in an attempt to attack an unknown animal or rodent while his vehicle was parked overnight,” Kovaleff said.

The van had a flat tire and damage from the dogs chewing on the vehicle. The man changed the tire and drove to work in Palm Springs. When he got to work, he discovered that a stray kitten was stuck in a hollow area of the front bumper and fender, Kovaleff said.

The animal control officer took apart the bumper and fender to get the kitten, which was taken to a local animal hospital and determined to be in good health, Kovaleff said.

The kitten was named “Fender-Lynx” — “Fender” for the area she was rescued from and “Lynx” for her tufted ear tips, Kovaleff said. The kitten is an American short-haired tabby and about seven weeks old.

She will be available for pre-adoption at the Palm Springs Animal Shelter on Saturday — the adoption fee is $20 and includes spay surgery, vaccinations and a microchip.