An Omaha family was in for a shock when they spotted a cat on the roof of a speeding van on the highway last week.
Omaha Family Films Cat Clinging To Roof Of Speeding Van
Ronda Rankin was driving down the I-480 in Omaha, Nebraska, last Friday, May 25, when her daughter noticed something strange on top of an adjoining van.
It first appeared to be some kind of round, fuzzy blur on the roof of a burgundy minivan exceeding speeds of 60 mph, but as they inched closer they realized that the ball of fluff was actually a terrified gray and white cat clinging on to the roof of the vehicle for its dear life.
Rankin recorded the footage on her cellphone from the backseat of her car. "That's a cat!" her daughter can be heard exclaiming in the clip, ending a debate among her family members who first mistook the tenaciously hanging animal for a raccoon.
The Rankin family then pulled up next to the van and alerted the occupants of the vehicle, after which the car slowed down. The video, which was shared on Twitter last week, has only just become a viral phenomenon, with close to 170,000 views. Watch the clip below:
WHOA! A friend shared this video of a cat riding on top of this van going 60 mph on I-480 between Martha & Farnam in Omaha Friday around 8:30 p.m. People in the van had no idea! "They were shocked and scared! They immediately pulled over.” Anyone know what happened to cat? pic.twitter.com/b4xWxaqu3W— Chinh Doan (@ChinhDoan) May 20, 2018
Officials, Nebraska Humane Society Investigating The Incident
Since the video has gone viral, local officials and the Nebraska Humane Society are seeking the public's help to identity the owners of the van and determine how the feline ended up on the roof of the vehicle.
"We have never seen a video like that before," said Mark Langan of the Nebraska Humane Society. "How that cat held on at high speeds like that is amazing. I want to know what happened to the cat. People in Omaha want to know what happened to the cat. Let's find out what happened to this poor cat."
What Exactly Happened?
KET7 managed to track down the owners of the cat and it turns out that the feline, whose name is Rebel, still has all of his nine lives intact. As a matter of fact, Rebel did not even suffer a single scratch.
Michelle Criger, Rebel's owner, told the news outlet that she had absolutely no idea that he was on the roof of their van. Apparently, the cat usually likes to hang around the car, so she always checks the inside of the vehicle and under it before driving off. However, she did not feel the need to the check the top of the vehicle, until the Rankin family flagged her down.
