Rescuing Tobin: Helping a Cat in Need

Posted by Mia Carter Jul 1, 2008

...At the next exit, I got off the bridge and looped back around and what I saw made my heart drop. I realized there was no way this cat found her way onto the bridge on her own. If she back-tracked through the tunnel, she'd have to walk nearly one-half mile on a narrow shoulder, with traffic speeding within inches of her small sleek body. If she walked forward from her location, she would have to walk a little over a half-mile to reach the end of the nearest exit ramp. The latter journey would have certainly killed her since there's no shoulder on the bridge. Tobin was almost certainly dumped on that bridge, and terrified and alone, she scampered into the first hidey-hole she could find. And she waited...for rescue or for death - whichever came first. Now, being an animal lover and a fierce do-it-yourselfer, in most cases, I would have plucked this cat from her perch myself. But I was faced with a few problems. Firstly, I had no idea whether this cat was feral. A feral cat may look like your loving, friendly kitty at home, but make no mistake - they are wild animals who do not appreciate direct human contact anymore than your average squirrel or pigeon. I realized that if she was feral, she would try to flee if approached. And with traffic whizzing past at dizzying speeds at all hours of the day, this would spell certain death. I also realized that this cat could very well be injured. And an injured cat, no matter how tame, can be aggressive - it's an instinctual protection device intended to maximize chances of survival in the wild. I realized, this was not a rescue that I should attempt myself, so I called in reinforcements...Part III