Lucky Black Cat Saved from Interstate 215 in Riverside
A Riverside County Animal Services officer rescued a frightened feline from a freeway ramp this morning.
The cat was perched on a concrete wall on the northbound Interstate 215 ramp that connects with the west- bound lanes of Highway 91 in Riverside.
A concerned motorist called Animal Services at about 8:30 a.m. when she noticed a “black, little ball on the ledge.” Officer Michael Cox responded and realized a traffic break from the California Highway Patrol was necessary. He contacted his dispatch center and a CHP officer arrived within moments.
“I knew this would be a hairy situation if not for that traffic break,” Cox said. “I really appreciated the fast reply from the CHP.”
When he approached the cat, he said he was concerned it might get nervous and leap off the tall flyover- style ramp. The drop was about 50 feet, he said. The cat appeared to recognize he was there to help, he said. Officer Cox placed a net over the cat and safely removed it from the wall and placed it in his truck.
“The cat actually seemed very friendly, so it was a fairly easy rescue,” he said.
Morning commuter Alexandra Hargraves was on her way to her job as a financial coordinator in a dentist office in Riverside when the cat caught her attention. She said she was happy to learn the cat was saved.
“I got very emotional I wanted to cry,” Ms. Hargraves said. “I wanted to stop but it was too dangerous. When I saw it, I thought, ‘it’s going to fall.’ Maybe I could stop, I thought, but it’s very narrow on that ramp and I had my son in the car.”
Upon learning of the rescue, she started to consider adopting the cat if, that is, an owner does not come to redeem the feline.
The cat is a female and its age is yet to be determined.
