Caltrans worker Jaime Montes (left) holds a young cat named Callie that was given a brand new likelihood at life after upkeep crews rescued the injured animal discovered curled up alongside the 5 Freeway in Mission Viejo on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Caltrans)
A young cat was given a brand new likelihood at life after Caltrans upkeep crews rescued the injured animal discovered curled up alongside the 5 Freeway in Mission Viejo on Friday, Dec. 22.
Just earlier than midday, Caltrans staff Jaime Montes and Abraham Castillo had been driving alongside the freeway cleansing particles off the facet of the highway once they noticed what seemed to be cardboard scraps alongside the middle divider.
The cat, named Callie in honor of her rescuers, will probably be up for adoption after fully healed and spayed.
2/2 pic.twitter.com/knhkOYooHt— Caltrans HQ (@CaltransHQ) December 26, 2023
An eagle-eyed Montes noticed a tiny, orange face amongst the particles and knew a creature was in want, his accomplice Castillo mentioned on Wednesday.
“We though the cat was deceased at first,” Castillo mentioned. “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 2 to get near the cat, however finally Montes was capable of get her wrapped up in a spare shirt and to get her some water.
The cat was in ache, along with her paws badly burned.
“We knew we had to get this cat off the highway and that it needed medical attention,” he mentioned. “But she was purring so I think she knew she was safe.”
The males drove round Mission Viejo searching for a no-kill shelter, and had been capable of finding assist on 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 mentioned. “It deserved a second chance for what it went through.”
There was no microchip on the cat, however Castillo mentioned the cat was so well-behaved that he assumed it was a pet that had gotten free.
The pair initially needed to call the cat Garfield due to its orange coat, however staff on the animal heart appropriately named her Callie after her rescuers.
Callie has since spent the previous couple of days out and in of the veterinary hospital to get her paws handled, in response to Animal Care Supervisor Brynn Lavison.
“She had severe burns on her paw pads, so she is being treated like a burn victim,” Lavison mentioned. “But she’s getting better and better.”
The cat could have been burned whereas walking or working on a scorching highway, Lavison mentioned, including one other doable trigger is that it might have come into contact with a scorching car engine.
Callie is anticipated to totally get better quickly and the animal heart is looking for a foster household to take care of her till she finds a brand new home, Lavison mentioned. She is round 8 months to a 12 months old and will probably be spayed as soon as she is again to full well being.
“A lot of the guys at our station are animal lovers and we wanted to make her a yard cat,” Castillo mentioned. “But it can be a bit dangerous there so I hope she can find the family she deserves.”
For these fascinated by fostering Callie or one other animal on the Mission Viejo Animal Center, a foster type will be submitted at cityofmissionviejo.org. Donations can be made to Dedicated Animal Welfare Group, a non-profit that helps the Mission Viejo Animal Center find houses for deserted animals by visiting dawg.org
