A black cat was found perilously sleeping in the middle of a highway, prompting a rescuer to arrive on the scene. Unable to reach the kitten without stopping oncoming traffic, the rescuer was assisted by New York police officers. Video shows the stray cat being frightened by its situation before being saved and brought to safety.
New York police officers assist in the kitten rescue
On the morning of August 19, a black kitten was found in sleeping on the divide in the middle of Sunrise highway near exit 46, according to a post on Facebook by John Debacker from the non-profit organization Long Island Cat/Kitten Solution (LICKS).
The video of the “terrifying scene” shows Debacker on the furthest side of the highway trying to reach the black cat as cars whip past him on the highway. Several police cruisers from the Suffolk County Police Department inched their way across the road, blaring their sirens as they blocked each lane one at a time.
The rescuer was then able to approach the cat who was found clinging to the stony divide. He firmly grabbed its back and carried the spicy kitten across the highway, despite it thrashing and making frightened meows. Fortunately, it only took a few moments before the rescuer placed the cat inside a carrier and told the officers to reopen the lanes.
Commenters praised Debacker for the swift rescue, though many thought that kitten likely had no idea why it was being startled out of its nap. One wrote, “He said ‘YOU RUINED MY NAP THE ROCK WAS WARM.’ Thank you for saving all the babies you do. It’s NOT an easy job but so rewarding.”
However, others thought that the rescuer could have grabbed the kitten by the scruff and not the middle of its back, which they argue might have caused the cat discomfort and pain. But some say that trying to hold it by the neck would have been riskier and made it easier for the cat to escape and potentially run into traffic.
