96 Dodge Magnum 5.9 V8 laramie slt

That was one vicious cat! I can help with the battery light. The most common cause for an intermittent problem is worn brushes in the alternator. You can prove that by measuring the voltages on the two small terminal nuts on the back but you must take those measurements while the engine is running. One will have full battery voltage and the other one should have less but not 0 volts. Typical is between 4 and 11 volts. If you find 0 volts when the problem is occurring, the brushes are open. They aren't real hard to replace but the alternator will have to be removed from the engine.