“We didn’t know what to do … “
Racing Against Traffic: How One Couple Rescued a Cat on a Busy Freeway
While navigating through rush hour traffic on a busy Houston freeway, Diana Lopez and her fiancé, Juan, were caught off guard by an unexpected sight. Juan suddenly gasped — not from the traffic — but from spotting something curled up on the shoulder of the road.
“A cat,” he said, still stunned. “There was a cat on the side of the freeway.”
Diana’s heart dropped. A devoted cat mom already caring for four felines with Juan, she knew they couldn’t just keep driving. Still, the danger of stopping in freeway traffic weighed heavily on them.
“We didn’t have a plan,” Diana later shared in a TikTok. “But we knew we had to try.”
They circled back, made a U-turn, and pulled over as safely as possible. With cars racing past, Diana waited for the right moment, then darted out into the chaos. Her heart pounded, adrenaline high.
“I was so nervous. I wanted to cry,” she said. “I just kept thinking, ‘Please let me get to her in time.’”
Miraculously, Diana reached the cat — a fragile calico — and scooped her up. Shaking with emotion, she climbed back into the car, clutching the injured animal in her arms.
“I broke down in tears,” Diana recalled. “She was in such rough shape. I’ve never seen a cat like that before.”
The calico, later named Callie, had bloodied paws and numerous cuts. But with food, a warm bath, and a soft blanket, the 1-year-old began to relax. A vet visit confirmed she had no serious internal injuries, just wounds that would heal with time and care.
Within a week, Callie was blossoming. Her sweet personality began to shine, and it didn’t take long for Diana to realize something else — Callie was already home.
“I couldn’t imagine giving her up,” she said. “She belonged with us.”
Now officially part of the family, Callie has been warmly welcomed by Diana’s other cats — and even her mom. She’s settled in like she was meant to be there all along.
Looking back, Diana wouldn’t change a thing about that terrifying freeway rescue.
“I’d do it all over again for her,” she said. “Callie’s part of our story now — and we’re part of hers.”