Kitten Rescued From Freeway Overpass Now Up For Adoption

SAN BRUNO (CBS SF) -- The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS/SPCA) announced Thursday that a kitten they rescued from the base of a freeway sign at an overpass near the San Francisco Airport is up for adoption.

The kitten, later named Gwenyth, got stuck on the sign near the busy Interstate 380 connector linking I-280 at San Bruno with U.S. 101 on June 10.

"We received a frantic phone call from an airport worker who saw and heard a kitten stranded at the concrete base of the sign on the 380 connector overpass," said PHS/SPCA Communications Manager Buffy Martin Tarbox. "The kitten was trapped on the ledge which was at least 50 feet above the ground. She was unable to climb up to the freeway, but even if the kitten was able to, she would have found herself directly in the dangerous and fast paced traffic. The person who called us said the kitten was crying out for help."

A PHS/SPCA employee arrived on scene to find the kitten in obvious distress. The employee then rescued the kitten by holding onto the overpass barrier and scooping it up with a net.

"Our Animal Rescue & Control staff was so worried the kitten would become scared of the net and jump from the base to the road below," said Tarbox. "Had she jumped, she would not have survived the impact since she was so high up. Our staff member was able to safely capture the kitten with the net, narrowly avoiding a tragic ending."

Gwenyth turned out to be a healthy 3-month-old Calico kitten with no identification and in the weeks since her rescue, no one came to claim her. Interested parties can adopt her from the PHS/SPCA for $120. She's been spayed, microchipped and vaccinated.

"We have no idea how the kitten ended up in her perilous situation or how long she had been stuck on the concrete base of the sign," according to Tarbox. "Thankfully someone noticed her and called us, and we were able to save her life."

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