SerpApi.Org
A seemingly normal drive home from Steamboat Springs turned into a rescue mission after a family cat escaped onto Interstate 70, causing the Colorado Department of Transportation to temporarily shut down the Eisenhower Tunnel on Sunday morning.
Abby Hagstrom said she didn’t realize that her cat, Bones, had squeezed his way through a slightly cracked truck window until her husband stopped for gas near Denver. Luckily, Bones was wearing an Apple AirTag, which showed his location near the Eisenhower Tunnel.
"I went into crazy cat mom mode and contacted every shelter, every rescue," Hagstrom said. "This is just so daunting. We don't know when he got out of the truck. All we have is this very loose location of where he may be."
After Summit Lost Pet Rescue shared information to the public about the missing feline, a driver spotted Bones on the tunnel’s eastbound catwalk around 4:30 a.m.
Rescue volunteers worked with CDOT, causing traffic to stop for about eight minutes so rescuers could safely rescue the cat. Hagstrom said that Bones walked right up to rescuers and was reunited with his family shortly after.
While this story had a happy ending, rescuers emphasize the importance of preparing your pets before an emergency happens.
"Always have your pet chipped. Keep the information updated, always keep a collar on your pet with the identifying information of the owner and the phone number," said Tracee Frick, a team lead with Summit Lost Pet Rescue. "I can't express how important that is because when a pet goes missing, we don't have any of that information."
Bones is recovering well at home and, according to Hagstrom, his outdoor adventures are on hold for now. She also said he'll be traveling in a carrier from now on, a lesson both she and Bones learned the hard way.
