Most days on the freeway involve speeding tickets, fender benders, and the occasional driver who thinks the carpool lane is a suggestion. But every once in a while, California Highway Patrol officers get a call that has nothing to do with cars at all, at least not directly. That was the case recently along northbound State Route 2 south of the 210 interchange in Altadena, where a routine patrol turned into a full blown kitten rescue operation.
Officer S. Mkrtchyan was working that stretch of freeway when he spotted something small and furry perched precariously on the center median wall. For anyone who has driven a California freeway, you know that’s about the worst possible place for a tiny animal to be hanging out. Traffic doesn’t exactly slow down for wildlife, so the officer made the call to coordinate a traffic break, the same maneuver troopers use to clear lanes for debris, stalled vehicles, or anything else that has no business being in the middle of the freeway.
Here’s where things got interesting. The kitten, apparently unfamiliar with the concept of being rescued, decided the safest place in the world was directly underneath Officer Mkrtchyan’s patrol vehicle. Anyone who has ever tried to coax a cat out from under a car knows exactly how that goes. It’s basically a hostage negotiation, except the hostage taker is a two pound kitten with zero interest in your timeline…