A falling cat at a college football game became the “craziest thing on the internet,“ on Sunday, September 12th in Miami.
Warning: the videos and pictures may be disturbing to some viewers.
The many videos by fans leave many questions for cat lovers, such as, “Why was a cat at a football game?” It’s not clear why the kitty was in the Hard Rock Stadium, where the Miami Hurricanes played Appalachian State Mountaineers. After the video went viral, it seems the falling cat upstaged the game. In three hours, the video had 2.6 million views.
On ESPN, the moment became the “most notable catch” of the game, although not a football.
Fortunately, the cat survived the fall of 60 feet, thanks to quick-thinking fans holding up an American flag.
The Cromers hold up an American flag, screenshot via Twitter
Falling Cat Saved by an American Flag
First, the cat went behind the awning of the upper deck, where it remained for some time. Then, people began to try and help it, but the cat was scared and slid down. From there, the cat’s paw got stuck as it dangled in mid-air. Unfortunately, there was nothing the onlookers in the upper deck could do to help.
As the crowd became aware of the cat, they shouted, “hang on!” and “save the cat,” but after what seemed like forever, the cat fell. Below, some quick-thinking fans were scrambling to help. Meanwhile, the cat showed off its instincts, holding out its paws and body in a way to slow the fall as it prepared to land.
Image screenshot via YouTube
Craig Cromer, a facilities manager at the University of Miami, was there with his wife, Kimberly. Fortunately, they always brought an American flag to the game, which served as an impromptu safety net.
“They were trying to grab it from above, and they couldn’t reach it but they were scaring it downward,” said Cromer. “It hung there for a little while with its two front paws, then one paw, then I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, it’s coming soon.'”
As you can see in the videos, the flag did soften the fall. After buying season tickets for seven years, Craig and his flag saved the day.
“This,” Craig said, “is my first catch.”
As expected, the media said this cat had used one of its proverbial nine lives. Others remarked that the video had “won the internet” since it captured so many views. However, we all wonder what happened to this poor cat next.
Falling Cat the Strangest Thing to Happen at a Game?
When the Cromers saw the cat dangling, they quickly untied the flag from the railing and held it up. Then, the falling cat lost its grip, and the flag cushioned the fall. After it fell, the cat spilled the Cromer’s drink, spraying them. Otherwise, they and the cat appeared to be ok.
“Strangest thing that’s ever happened at a game,” Kimberly Cromer told ESPN.
From there, the frightened cat stumbled into the student section, where one person held it in the air like “Simba from ‘The Lion King.'”
Then, stadium workers were able to carry it to safety. Along the way, several people held the petrified cat as the stadium cheered. A couple of people decided to pet the cat, which of course, responded with a scratch.
Victor Castro was filming in the lower deck, remarking that the cheers were the loudest at Hard Rock Stadium in years.
After hearing about the falling cat, Miami’s coach Manny Diaz, who was less-than-pleased with the team’s offense, said:
“I don’t know anything about that or what was going on,” he said, “but I’ll tell you if the cat can help our red-zone offense, I’ll see if we can get it a scholarship.”
See the video from ABC7:
Holding an Injured Cat
In the stands, many people were recording what happened. Everyone was excited the falling cat survived and made it to safety. However, many people were concerned about the cat after the fall.
In the excitement, the rescuers held up the cat for the crowd instead of securing it by wrapping it in a towel or blanket. Thus, the well-meaning people risked getting scratched or bitten, as well as further injuring the cat. However, we’re very happy to see that the falling cat survived and that the crowd was ecstatic about it.
Overall, it’s amazing to see how this cat and the fans acted quickly. Due to the cat’s incredible instincts and acrobat skills, combined with a well-placed American flag, this story had a happy ending. Now, we hope to find out more about this lucky feline.
So, you can see it from many angles, such as this one from NBC News:
Below, you can see a different angle from another fan on Twitter which shows the cat after the fall.
Featured images: Screenshots via YouTube
