A miracle took place before our eyes with Butterscotch the neighborhood cat.

A tragedy almost happened in front of our eyes

I was walking to the store on Sunday afternoon with my two youngest grandchildren when a neighborhood cat began following us. My granddaughter had named this cat Butterscotch and after she stopped being skittish and would come near and on occasion, we give her food and water. I have an indoor cat but also have compassion for the kitties that others have abandoned. Butterscotch at times will follow me as I walk but had always stopped at the end of the block and would not cross the street.

Sometimes she is sleeping on a neighbor's porch and will run to meet me when I drive up in the car. On Sunday when we were about a block away from the house, my grandson noticed Butterscotch was still following and about to cross the street with us and he motioned her to stay back. She instead kept coming and as we made it to the other side she was in the middle of the street when a car came speeding over the top of the hill. My granddaughter and I froze and simultaneously screamed because we saw no way that the cat would not be hit. She had turned so she was facing the other side of the street but was unable to run away in time.

A ginormous miracle occurs

The driver's window was down so he heard us scream and he had to see the feline but he kept speeding. Just as we braced for the moment of impact a miracle occurred. The front driver's tire was right on top of the cat and I braced for the impact but Butterscotch's body went backward as if pulled by invisible hands. My granddaughter said that she knew God was real because He sent an angel to save the cat's life. I am so thankful we did not see the kitty get hit by the car because I had witnessed a dog get hit and die and my son saw his kitten get run over and it's not pretty.

After her near miss with the vehicle, Butterscotch did not continue in our direction but ran into the shrubs of a nearby house. She did not appear hurt so we continued our walk to the store to give her time to settle down. On our way back home as we walked near the shrubbery we heard Butterscotch crying and thought maybe she had been hurt after all. We called to her but she ran deeper into the bush.

The aftermath of the frightening situation

It took some time but we finally were able to coax her out into the open. I picked her up and carried her to my house and along the way as a truck went by she almost leaped out of my arms and began shaking. The grandkids fed her and gave her water and we gave her a thorough inspection and all seemed well. My granddaughter said that God sent an angel because He did not want two little kids to be traumatized by the sight of the cat being run over.

Butterscotch showed up this morning and seems to be doing well. I am saddened that the driver did not slow down or even get out to see if he hit the cat. Reports are increasing all over Virginia about an upswing in hit-and-run drivers. There has also been an increase in pedestrian deaths even when the drivers remain at the scene. If you are a driver please obey the speed limit and consider how you would feel if someone speeding hit or killed your loved one or pet.