We love our Canadian neighbors, and here’s a story that makes us love them even more! During afternoon rush hour on a Friday in the freezing cold, commuters were headed home. But concerned citizens put everything on hold to save an orange kitty who got loose and darted under a streetcar in Toronto.
According to the Toronto Star, a woman’s cat managed to escape her carrier and run under the bus-sized streetcar. In a panic, she started screaming and trying to reach the cat, a female orange and white kitty. The cat was near the wheels, and her Mom’s cries for help alerted passengers, who sprang into action.
“The owner outside was banging on the glass, and she’s like, ‘My cat! My cat!’ She’s screaming. So we turned around right away, and we’re screaming; we ran to the front and we got him to not continue moving the car,” said passenger Madison Millar.
Streetcar Passengers Hit the Cold Pavement
Remember that it was rush hour and frigid cold when the streetcar passengers and driver stopped everything. Since the cat was so far out of sight, they surrounded the vehicle. While some stopped traffic, others crawled on their bellies to see if they could spot the ginger kitty.
People lay on the cold pavement to try and get to the hiding kitty. Image screenshots via X/Ian Clarke
Unfortunately, she was well out of reach, but that didn’t deter the concerned citizens. One passenger, Pragti Kapoor, who was on her way home from work, described working with the driver and others to improvise a solution with CP24.
“I believe in humanity because a woman’s cat escaped from the bag and went under the Streetcar, and basically everyone: the Passengers, the Driver, the bystanders, all started helping and trying to get the cat out in -10 cold,” Kapoor shared on TikTok.
Pragti Kapoor shares a video showing the cat hiding beneath the Streetcar via TikTok/pragtikapoor
Kapoor said the cat was “stressed out from her Vet’s visit,” which likely prompted her to run away.
@pragtikapoor Not to brag but the Tape was my idea! 😌😌 . . . . . #torontonews #torontolife #goodsamaritan #faithinhumanityrestored
Streetcar Cat Has No Desire for Treats
As the rescue ensued, some brought food, including shawarma, Oreos, hot chicken, and cat food. Yet this streetcar cat had no desire for such temptations, so they started joining brooms together to reach further beneath the vehicle.
“Barely we could see or make out where the cat was, so it’s like playing in the dark – with even the brooms,” Kapoor said.
Passengers try putting brooms together to reach the cat but it didn’t work.
Unfortunately, the brooms weren’t doing the trick, and by then, traffic had been at a stop for some time, with the Star suggesting 20 minutes or so. What finally worked was when the driver opened a battery compartment, hoping to spot the cat. When they did that, a loud bang rang out, startling the cat to move from hiding. As the crowd saw that the noise was working, they yelled, “Do it again!” So the driver did it again, and people stomped their feet for added effect. In all the noise, the cat thankfully ran towards the rescuers who quickly grabbed her out and secured her safely.
You can see the young people smiling and holding the bag. An unnamed hero on the left so kindly held the kitty as Mom thanked the crowd.
Impromptu Cat Rescue Squad
Overcome with gratitude, the cat’s Mom immediately thanked and apologized to the heroes and hugged the driver. Then, the patient young person handed her the precious cargo safe and sound.
“(The owner) was so relieved, and she had so much trust in us that once we said we got her, she was happy, and she was congratulating people,” Kapoor said.
Loud cheers and applause erupted, and many kind people were thrilled rather than annoyed by an inconvenient rush hour delay.
“Thank you so much. Oh my God!” the woman cried, carrying her cat to safety.
Woman waves to the crowd when her kitty is saved by the impromptu cat rescue squad
Worth Being Late to Join a Rescue
Since the cat got out of the bag, Millar was late for work, but her boss understood, given the most unusual and heartwarming chain of events! Meanwhile, Pragti Kapoor said she was “smiling all the way back home” on TikTok.
Another passenger, Ian Clarke, came over from a streetcar stalled further down the street. He captured video of the events, which ended up being “a nice way to cap off the week,” he said. On his way home, he coincidentally sat in front of the woman and her rescued cat on another streetcar.
“A cat got stuck under a streetcar during rush hour and a crowd jumped in to rescue it.. who said Toronto isn’t exciting,” he shared on social media.
Following the rescue, curious passengers came over to ask the woman about her now-famous cat.
As Jenn, That Good News Girl, put it, the events for the “impromptu cat rescue squad” ended with time well-spent for all involved.
“The consensus among the crowd was clear: They all firmly believed that becoming an impromptu Cat Rescue Squad was one thing that was absolutely worth being a little late for, she said.
Video by Jenn the Good News Girl about the streetcar rescue:
Image screenshots via X/Ian Clarke
