A young cat was given a new chance at life after Caltrans maintenance crews rescued the injured animal found curled up along the 5 Freeway in Mission Viejo on Friday, Dec. 22.
Just before noon, Caltrans employees Jaime Montes and Abraham Castillo were driving along the freeway cleaning debris off the side of the road when they saw what appeared to be cardboard scraps along the center divider.
The cat, named Callie in honor of her rescuers, will be up for adoption after completely healed and spayed. ❤️🐈
2/2 pic.twitter.com/knhkOYooHt— Caltrans HQ (@CaltransHQ) December 26, 2023
An eagle-eyed Montes spotted a tiny, orange face amongst the debris and knew a creature was in need, his partner Castillo said on Wednesday.
“We though the cat was deceased at first,” Castillo said. “We get a lot of deceased animals on the highway, but as my partner approached, the cat flinched and we startled it.”
It took a bit for the two to get close to the cat, but eventually Montes was able to get her wrapped up in a spare shirt and to get her some water.
The cat was in pain, with her paws badly burned.
“We knew we had to get this cat off the highway and that it needed medical attention,” he said. “But she was purring so I think she knew she was safe.”
The men drove around Mission Viejo looking for a no-kill shelter, and were able to find help at the Mission Viejo Animal Center.
“We found a few shelters that had a 10 to 30 day policy for adoption before it would be put down but we couldn’t do that,” Castillo said. “It deserved a second chance for what it went through.”
There was no microchip on the cat, but Castillo said the cat was so well-behaved that he assumed it was a pet that had gotten loose.
The pair initially wanted to name the cat Garfield because of its orange coat, but employees at the animal center appropriately named her Callie after her rescuers.
Callie has since spent the last few days in and out of the veterinary hospital…
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