Commuters on a TTC 504 King streetcar banded together to help rescue a furry friend trapped under their transit vehicle amid the busy Friday evening rush hour commute, and the heartwarming display of heroics was all captured on video.
A video taken by a commuter shows the streetcar idling out of service on King Street West, just east of Blue Jays Way, as passengers huddle on the ground, attempting to coax a frightened cat out from under the vehicle.
Passengers pulled out all the stops to rescue the feline and get traffic moving again, including taping brooms together to help reach the frightened cat.
Finally, the group was able to encourage the cat to vacate its very dangerous hiding spot with a combination of banging sounds and the ever-reliable Whiskas Temptations cat treats, and the feline was ushered into a cat carrier by its extremely grateful owner.
TikTok user Ian Clarke (_clarkeian) shared the video to the platform on Saturday, where it has since amassed approximately 42,000 likes and over 1,400 comments.
@_clarkeian crowd rescues cat from under toronto streetcar during rush hour #torontolife #torontotiktok #toronto #catrescue #feelgood #ttc ♬ original sound – Ian Clarke
“Yeah this is my Toronto,” wrote one commenter.
“I love how people didn’t hesitate to lie on the street in their work clothes in the cold to help a total stranger,” said another user, adding, “We need more stories like this.”
TTC spokesperson Stuart Green tells blogTO, “It does happen that we occasionally have incidents of animals impacting service. We always need to take care in these situations.”
“In this case, the quick thinking of everyone involved allowed us to avoid a catastrophe and left everyone feline fine,” says Green.