05/31/2026
As unfortunate as it is, the reality is that animals are struck by vehicles every day. That said, just because the animal has been hit, doesn’t mean it’s dead and may actually just need medical attention that you can help it get!
Take our friend here from the Bingham County Humane Society, Bumper, (named for exactly the reason you’re thinking). Bumper has a very unique story on how he came to be a resident of the BCHS. One of our volunteers was driving home through the country late one night, and bumper decided to run out in front of her. She really tried hard to avoid him, she hit the brakes and went off the side of the road as far as she dared, but she knew it was going to be close. She turned her car around to see if he was still in the road and was so upset to find his little body lying there completely still. When she got out to pick him up, she notices he was still breathing and his little heart was beating pretty fast, but he was unconscious. The volunteer took him to the closest and only house on the road to see if it was their kitty. Luckily somebody did answer, but they said it wasn’t theirs and that there were a lot of stray kitties at the feed lot next-door.
So, the volunteer took the kitty and got back in her car to figure out what to do with him. She looked him over and he had a cut on his right leg, but it didn’t feel broken, and she didn’t feel any other broken bones. She was worried about a broken jaw because his tongue was sticking out of his mouth, and his jaw was clamped down on it, he had bit his tongue so there was a lot of blood. She opened his jaw and it felt normal and she put his tongue back in his mouth and started calling vet clinics to see who was on call. After a few minutes, she looked down at Bumper, and he looked back at her. His pupils were reactive and very intensely looking at her, he was not a cat that looked like he was suffering from a concussion. Rather, he looked like a very scared and confused about why he was lying in a strange lady’s lap, instead of on the other side of the road where he had planned to go. She took him home and put him in a cage to monitor him over the night.
The next morning, he looked good, he wasn’t limping or vomiting and he had also eaten, but he was not happy. He looked like a cat who had never been touched by a person before. And if looks could kill, that volunteer would’ve have lived to tell this tale. She called the vet clinic and made him an appointment for the next day to be thoroughly examined and get neutered. After getting a clean bill of health and neutered, she took him back home to see if he would warm up to people. Bumper decided that was not happening. And after a night of yowling in the cage, the volunteer’s husband decided that keeping him there was not happening either. So, Bumper came to our shelter, where he glared at everybody there instead.
Lucky for Bumper, we had an amazing volunteer named Mia. We asked Mia, if she could work her magic on Bumper, and she did. She had him a few weeks and he loved snuggling with her on the couch. He would grab her arm and snuggle his head and pull her arm closer to him. He didn’t, however like her sister, but when he started getting crabby, she took him back to the vet and they determined he had a UTI. Likely from how much stress he was in going through this whole ordeal. Sadly, for us, but good for Mia, she had to go back to her job in northern Idaho as a Woodland firefighter.
Bumper missed her terribly, but we’d put him in a large walk-in cage, so he didn’t feel like he was caged up too badly. Eventually, he started warming up to us too. But he still couldn’t help reaching out and trying to scratch us every once in a while. Then, slowly but surely, Bumper started talking to us and letting us love him. He’s been getting better and better every day. Now he’s a silly little boy who loves to rub up on our legs swish his tail back-and-forth while we talk to him and get lots of love. We think he’s ready for adoption, and we would love to find him wonderful home that will be okay with his checkered past. Just to be safe, we don’t think he’d be good around kids because of his previous habit of swatting (even though he hasn’t done that for a while). He seems to like to play with the other cats but also spends a lot of time by himself. Bumper also looks a bit like Merman from SpongeBob with a starfish on his nose.
Moral of the story, just because the animal has been hit, it’s good practice just to get out and see if it’s still alive and if you can help it. Some things to consider when doing so include:
- Your own safety: If you believe the animal is dangerous or could attack you, best to call animal control instead of handling the situation yourself. Calling for him will keep you and other safe in case the animal needs to be removed from the roadway to stop future accidents.
- Approach the animal with caution: Because the animal may be scared or in pain, it’s possible that they may lunge or try to bite at you because they believe they’re in further danger. Speak calmly and softly as you’re approaching the animal.
- Move gently; If the animal is alive and will allow you to move it to receive medical attention, do so gently. It’s possible that its spine was injured during the hit and sudden movements could cause further damage to the break.
- If there are houses nearby, stop by at some point to ask if it might be their animal. If the animal is in critical condition take care if it first and then go back.
If you are interested in adopting Bumper, and feel you can give him a loving stable forever home, go to our webpage at
binghamcountyhumane.org/kittiesreadytoadopt
scroll down to Bumper, click his picture and click "apply for adoption" fill out the application and submit. We will soon be in touch with you. Adoption fee is $100, if you decide to adopt a friend with him, there is a discount for adopting multiples. $175 for 2 kitties.
