Seven-year-old Bones is back home without a scratch after escaping from a pickup truck on Colorado’s Interstate 70. While his family was driving east from Steamboat Springs, the cat squeezed through a small opening in the rear window and disappeared somewhere between Silverthorne and Denver.
A stop for gas in Denver revealed that Bones was gone. His AirTag first pointed to the area near Loveland Ski Resort, then placed him inside the eastbound Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels. His guardian, Walt Hagstrom, turned around to search while the family contacted shelters and Summit Lost Pet Rescue, who in turn contacted the Colorado Department of Transportation.
After someone spotted Bones on the tunnel walkway, CDOT workers found him on traffic cameras at 4:25 a.m. They stopped eastbound traffic for about eight minutes so an employee could reach him. Bones walked straight to the worker and spent the next hour cuddling with tunnel staff.
By 5:30 a.m., Bones was back with his family. “As soon as Bones heard our voices, he raced to the door,” Abby Hagstrom said. After hours beside I-70, he returned home without a scratch.
Lady Freethinker celebrates Bones’ safe return and thanks the person who spotted him, Summit Lost Pet Rescue, Summit County Animal Control, and the tunnel workers who brought him to safety.
Bones’ close call is a good reminder to keep cats safe in a closed carrier secured on a seat or the vehicle floor during car rides. Keeping the carrier out at home, adding familiar bedding, and practicing short, calm rides can help cats feel safer about future necessary travel.
For another highway rescue with a happy ending, read how a tiny freeway kitten went from a patrol car’s undercarriage to a loving home.
