Cops issue cat alert for feline that caused wreck

[July 29, 2010]  BANKS, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon State Police have taken the unusual step of issuing a missing cat alert for a feline that caused a car crash, escaped from a smashed SUV and vanished.

Southern Oregon University student Brittany Spady rolled her Ford Explorer on U.S. 26 east of Banks on Monday night after her long-haired tortoiseshell cat Calysta crawled between the brake and gas pedals. Spady said she took her eyes off the road to try and stop the cat.

She said the cat refuses to travel in a carrier. Spady was headed home from Ashland and was just two miles from her parents' house when her vehicle went into a ditch, rolled and hit a tree.

The cat bolted, vanishing into nearby forest.

State police spokesman Lt. Gregg Hastings said the family has been out looking for the missing cat -- and he wanted to help.

___

Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com/

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.