Kitten Saved from Boston Tunnel by Animal Rescuers and Police

Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest travel times of the year, so when a kitten was meandering inside the hectic Route 90 Connector Tunnel in Boston on Sept. 3, time was of the essence. 

The Massachusetts State Police said they received multiple calls about the gray kitten, who decided to “play a little hide and seek” in the tunnel. 

After state police troopers shut down one lane of tunnel traffic, Darleen Wood, associate director of law enforcement for the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL), was able to rescue the 12-week-old intact male kitten. 

Michael DeFina, media relations officer for the ARL, told petMD that the kitten was “darting in and out of concrete barriers” on the road. Wood waited above the barriers until the fearless kitty poked his head out, then grabbed him by the scruff and quickly pulled him to safety. “Nets were on hand, just in case they were needed, but Darleen wanted a hands-on approach to rescuing this kitten,” DeFina explained. 

Once the little cat was in safe hands, he was transferred to ARL’s Boston Animal Care and Adoption Center for veterinary care. The team discovered trauma to the kitten’s left ear and tail. Because his tail was “necrotic and mummified due to prior trauma,” a portion of it will need to be amputated. 

The kitty, who has since been vaccinated, is still under evaluation at the facility. “There is a possibility that his wounds may have come as the result of an altercation with another animal,” ARL stated in a press release. “He may have to be placed into an extended quarantine period.” 

Despite the trauma, the feline is a real “spitfire,” DeFina said. “When he was rescued, he was not at all happy about being handled by a human. He thrashed and literally screamed. However, in just a 48-hour period, he has calmed down and is showing a different side of his personality. He is OK being handled, and enjoys and even purrs loudly when being petted, which indicates he is certainly adoptable.” 

Once the decision for the kitty’s quarantine period has been made, he will be placed in foster care until he can be adopted.

Image via Massachusetts State Police Facebook

Read more: Small Kittens Trapped in Boom Lift Rescued by Animal Rescue Officers