This Cat at the University of Miami Football Game Truly Has Nine Lives

It’s not every day that something viral happens at a sporting event that ends up being WAY more interesting than the actual event, but recently, a stray cat at the University of Miami was the talk of the football game.

So, why was a cat roaming around a sports stadium? What happened to this furry feline? We have all the details on its harrowing tale (pun intended) below!

During a University of Miami football game where the Hurricanes played against the Appalachian State Mountaineers, fans around the Hard Rock Stadium couldn’t help but turn their eyes away from the game and towards a black-and-white cat that was very close to falling to its death.

Ten minutes into the game, the cat fought for survival with its claws as it dangled from a cable. Before long, the feline was holding on with just one claw while fans held their breath. On the deck below where the cat was holding on, a group of fans and a member of the University of Miami staff held out an American flag, attempting to make it work as a sort of net or soft landing space for the cat.

When the cat did in fact fall, the flag softened its landing. A student then grabbed it and held it up to show that it had survived. The crowd went wild.

The Miami Herald tracked down the man who owned the American flag that ended up saving the now-infamous cat at the football game. Craig Cromer is a facilities manager at the University of Miami. He also has owned Miami Hurricanes season tickets with his wife Kimberly for the past seven years. He told the Herald that the couple hang an American flag over the railing right in front of their seats at every game they attend.

“Once the Cromers realized what was happening, they sprung into action. Craig ripped his flag free from its zip-ties, and he and his wife stretched it out to create a landing pad for the terrified cat,” the outlet reported. “They stood there for about two or three minutes, Craig estimated, while the cat peed on the fans below.”

“This is my first catch,” Craig jokingly told The Miami Herald.

The home team ended up winning the game, their first win of the season. When asked about the cat in the stands that day, head coach Manny Diaz didn’t know too much about it. “I don’t know anything about that or what was going on,” he said, “but I’ll tell you if the cat can help our red-zone offense, I’ll see if we can get it a scholarship.”

While a college football game might typically be trending on Twitter because of a massive upset or a huge play, this time, it was because of this cat, which seems to truly have nine lives. One Twitter user wrote, “I literally cannot stop thinking about the Miami cat.”

Other fans are worried about what happened to the cat after the fall. One wondered, “Am I the only one that wants to know where the Miami cat is now?? Did he escape? Was he hurt? Did someone take him home? I need answers!”