Cat. PC: Fox 11 Online
LITTLE CHUTE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The world’s most prominent animal rights organization is recognizing the Outagamie County Highway Department for rescuing a dozen cats trapped in an abandoned van on a hot day last month.
Officials announced Wednesday OCHD is the recipient of a Compassionate Action Award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known as PETA.
The rescue took place May 26, which was Northeast Wisconsin’s first 90-degree day of 2026. Four highway workers spotted the van off I-41 at County Highway N in Little Chute and immediately opened the vehicle, then alerted authorities and transported the 12 cats to a local shelter. Many of the cats have since been adopted, PETA said.
“Animals left alone in parked cars are in danger every minute they are trapped in the heat, but these cats are now safe and recovering thanks to the quick thinking and compassionate action of the Outagamie County Highway Department,” said PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk in a news release.
PETA encourages everyone to be a hero for animals by always keeping an eye out and taking immediate action when they see an animal trapped in a hot car.
According to PETA, on a 70-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 99 degrees in 20 minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 109 degrees in just 10 minutes. Animals can sustain brain damage or even die from heatstroke in just 15 minutes, especially because dogs and cats can only cool themselves by panting.
If you see an animal alone in a parked car on a hot day, here’s what PETA recommends you do:
- Never leave the scene. Call 911, then write down the vehicle’s make, model, color and license plate number and rush to have nearby stores page the owner.
- If authorities are unresponsive or too slow and the animal’s life appears to be in imminent danger, find a witness and take the necessary steps to remove them from the car, including by employing an emergency window-breaking hammer.
PETA is sending a framed certificate and window-breaking emergency hammers to the Outagamie County Highway Department, along with vegan chocolates.
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