The group of electricians from IBEW Local 103 who helped rescue a cat that fell from a moving van on Interstate 93 North on Christmas Day were recognized Thursday by an animal rights organization.

The workers, who discovered Juno nine days after the feline’s harrowing tumble, huddled and scared atop a steel girder along the southbound side of the busy highway, received the “Compassionate Action Award’’ from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA.

“These workers went out of their way to coax this beloved cat to safety and reunite her with her overjoyed family members. PETA hopes their story will inspire people everywhere to keep an eye out for animals in need of assistance,’’ said Colleen O’Brien, spokeswoman for the group, which is perhaps best known for its attention-grabbing protests.

On Christmas Day, James Norton, Juno’s owner, was driving on I-93 ­toward New Hampshire when his van door began to make a rattling sound. Norton went to open and close the door to get it to stop, but Juno had been hiding in the footwell and fell onto the roadway.

Norton and his girlfriend, Erin McCutcheon, spent more than a week hanging up fliers, enlisting the help of community groups, and working with an animal tracker to find the cat, to no avail.

It was the electricians, who were working beneath I-93, roughly a half-mile­ from where Juno fell, who located the cat unexpectedly. Juno was sitting­ on a girder 80 feet from the ground. Miraculously, she was ­unharmed.

Members of Local 103 cared for Juno until eventually returning her to her grateful owners.

“It’s pretty incredible,’’ said Jay Dondero, one of the electricians, in a message to the Globe. “[I’m] changing my mind about not being a big fan of cats.’’

Steve Annear can be reached at steve.annear@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @steveannear.