Source: Michael Reaves / Getty
One frisky feline got to keep all nine of its lives when it fell multiple feet at a University of Miami-Appalachian State University football game on Saturday night but was saved by a U.S. flag that fans quickly turned into an emergency net. It isn’t clear how the cat made it to the Hard Rock Stadium’s upper deck. However, attendees spotted the critter hanging on to the railing for dear life, and one guy tried to reach out to it before the cat could hold on no longer and plunged towards the concrete a few levels lower.
“They were trying to grab it from above, and they couldn’t reach it, but they were scaring it downward,” facilities manager Craig Cromer told NBC Miami. “It hung there for a little while with its two front paws, then one paw, then I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness, it’s coming soon.'”
Fortunately for the cat, Cromer and his wife Kimberly were seated below, and they always bring a U.S. flag to every Univ. of Miami home game. So the couple acted quickly to unwrap it in preparation for the kitty’s descent.
As the cat fell, the entire stadium watched and prayed for the best. But the instant that it was verified to have landed safely and was taken away for further observation, the venue erupted in a roar. And there was more good luck that day in the Hard Rock Stadium: the Hurricanes edged out the Appalachian State Mountaineer by a score of 25-23.
“I don’t know anything about that or what was going on,” Miami coach Manny Diaz said after the game. “But I’ll tell you, if the cat will help us in our red-zone offense, I’m going to see if we can give it a scholarship.”
