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Couple Calls 911 After Rare Bobcat-Car Collision

LYONS, Colo. (CBS4) - Sometimes rescuers need rescuing.

A couple pulled over south of Lyons on Friday after seeing a bobcat hit by a car. They then called 911 after the cat took shelter under their own.

The couple was driving home to Broomfield after visiting Estes Park. They were half a mile south of Lyons on Highway 36 when they witnessed the car in front of theirs strike a large cat, according to Boulder County Sheriff's Office Deputy Neal McQuarie. That car did not stop following the collision.

The unidentified Broomfield couple stopped to check on the health of the animal. It then ran underneath their vehicle and could not be coaxed out. The couple refused to risk further injury to the cat by driving off.

McQuarie was called to the scene.

Fortunately, his cruiser was equipped with something perfect for the job -- an ice scraper.

"I used the brush end," McQuarie said. "It was the softest thing I had."

McQuarie jabbed and pushed, and the bobcat hissed.

McQuarie won the argument. The bobcat ran to the roadside and glared at him.

McQuarie says it was showing no external signs of injury and moved well. He says Colorado Parks & Wildlife officers planned to come to the area Saturday morning to care for the animal if it is still there and showing signs of difficulty.

Jennifer Churchill of Colorado Parks & Wildlife said bobcats are known to freeze when blinded by car headlights. She advised drivers to honk as soon as large cat is seen.

Churchill said bobcats are not uncommon in the Front Range. A sighting in Highlands Ranch was confirmed by rangers last week. But collisions with traffic are unusual.

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