March 24, 2008
Dirty Bomb Scanner Spots Radioactive Cat

We can't decide if this story is more straight out of a Dr. Strangelove-esque world or National Lampoon's road-trip vacation post 9/11, so we'll let you be the judge.
In response to a fear of "dirty bombs" being smuggled in from Canada, Homeland Security has been monitoring I-5 for radioactive materials. The following incident was recounted by the number two man in charge of Blaine, Wash., border patrol. A vehicle traveling 70 miles per hour on I-5 recently set off the monitoring device, identifying a radioactive isotope in the car. The federal agent monitoring the interstate raced after the car, pulling it over a short distance later. Heart-pounding, fearing he would find the components of a dirty bomb, the agent located the source of the radioactivity...a pet cat. The cat, suffering from feline cancer, had a radiological treatment three days earlier.
'Catmobile' photo courtesy of Flickr Contributor, grundlepuck


