Kitten rescued from rush hour 101 traffic

A kitten was rescued by a good Samaritan after trying to cross U.S. Highway 101 in Belmont during rush hour traffic on Monday morning, according to the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA.

A driver noticed the kitten running along the concrete divider on southbound Highway 101 near Ralston Avenue, then it tried to dart across the highway, humane society officials said.

The driver stopped and, with the assistance of others, blocked traffic and rescued the kitten, which had hidden in the truck wheel of the man’s Ford F-350, according to the humane society.

The man was able to retrieve the kitten and took it to the PHS/SPCA, which named it Leo in honor of the man who saved it.

PHS/SPCA spokeswoman Buffy Martin Tarbox said:

“What started as a normal morning commute to work turned into an astonishing rescue of a kitten.”

She said Leo, estimated to be about 7 weeks old, has no visible injuries but staff at the humane society are still doing medical evaluations to make sure it’s OK.

Because the kitten is not old enough yet to be neutered, Martin Tarbox estimated that it would not be available for adoption until around mid-August.