Kitty saved!

[Donn]

Published July 10, 2004

Swimming kitten rescued from Gulf

AP


St. Petersburg, Fla. — Stranger than a fish out of water: a kitten in the bay.
When Maggie Rogers spotted something bobbing in the water three miles into the Gulf of Mexico while on a scalloping trip, she assumed it was a turtle, or a piece of sea kelp.

But as the boat got closer, she discovered it was a tiny kitten. Nine inches long and screeching, the cat was paddling furiously.

"We scooped him up and he sat on the boat with me for eight hours," said Rogers, who is the finance director at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

"He was exhausted and stressed," Rogers said. "His heart rate was high."

The boaters did not know how the kitten arrived in Homosassa Bay. There were at least 40 boats in the area where he was found, they said.

On Tuesday, three days after he was found, a veterinarian said the 10-week-old, 1-pound kitten had worms, but was otherwise healthy.

He was adopted by Rogers' sister-in-law — and named Nemo.

[Ross M]

Little victories [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Art Read]

1 down, 8 to go... Gotta think that's one plucky little cat. Be interesting to know how long it was swimming. How long it COULD have been swimming. And which way it was swimming. Towards shore? Out to sea? In circles? Neat story!

[John B]

My boy just got given Ransomes "We didn't mean to go to sea" so I re read it myself.

[ 07-12-2004, 05:25 PM: Message edited by: John B ]

[Victor]

Someone must've thrown that cat overboard, or it would never have gotten out that far.

[Ian McColgin]

Escaping from Cuba?

[Meerkat]

el gato es gonna haf to go bak to habana! ai ai ai!

[Art Read]

"Someone must've thrown that cat overboard, or it would never have gotten out that far."

Crossed my mind, too. But lots of well loved boat kitties go missing all the time offshore. Badly timed leaps after flying fish perhaps?

Has anybody EVER read an account of an around the world passage by the "cruising author" genre who EVER started their trip with the same cat(s) they came home with? Seriously. I can't recall ONE of those books that didn't have the obligatory chapter of the horror all aboard felt when "Spinnaker" or "Grommet" suddenly went missing. Tearing the boat apart searching, while sailing a reciprical course 'till dawn, etc., etc... The Azores and Canaries, in particular, seem a very dangerous area for cruising cats somehow...

[ 07-12-2004, 08:05 PM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

[Jack Heinlen]

Someone must've thrown that cat overboard, or it would never have gotten out that far.

Well he did have worms, maybe they were using him for bait?

Could have been dumped, people do awful things to animals, but he could have as easily fallen overboard. Kittys that age aren't the most agile.

In any case, I'd say he used up a few of those proverbial nine lives. Lucky kitty that.

[Art Read]

Like I said, Jack... "1 down, 8 to go..."

[Figment]

Originally posted by Art Read:
Badly timed leaps after flying fish perhaps?

If memory serves, that's exactly the conclusion reached by the author of My Old Man And The Sea when his cat went missing in the night.

Curiosity kills.

[Meerkat]

Sounds like cats aboard should be harnessed while on deck.

I read one sailing adventure where the older cat died aboard and not from falling overboard. The first mate was a vet too.

[Art Read]

Haven't read that yet, though I came close at the recent book sale at the Center's Wooden Boat Festival. Bought a dozen or so WoodenBoat back issues I was missing instead. Having said that, I can understand how flying fish could drive shipboard kitties into rash acts... Several hundred miles due East of the Gulf Stream off the Georgia coast one night, I was drowsing at the wheel, waiting for my 0400 watch relief with my head lolling against the stern pulpit. Right next to where the stern light was mounted. (Apparantly, flying fish are attracted to light?) Anyway, completely out the blue, I felt what seemed exactly like an hard, aimed punch in the face. (My right cheek to be exact) Alone on deck, with both of my shipmates clearly audible below, snoring...

After my heart started again, and I stopped screaming, I rubbed my cheek. Fish scales? Then found the dead flying fish on the cockpit sole at my feet. Sadly, no cat aboard to offer it to for breakfast...

[Meerkat]

Hey, if Jack Aubery can eat fried flying fish for breakfast...

[Ian McColgin]

Death by misadventure is common for cats. Near death by misadventure is, after all, why we say thay have nine lives.

My old cat Col, who like his sister Clough, managed to die of old age, used up some of his lives sleeping in the sun on the bowsprit. After he had the good fortune to have me aboard the first time he rolled off, I made a fender he could swarm aboard on, always trailing over the starboard quarter. Once he knew where it was, he'd swim over, get back aboard, and then go dry off in our berth.

[Big Red]

Dare I say it: the bait from someones crab-pot?

Thats one cat thats sure gonna hate bath days [img]smile.gif[/img]

Insert evil grin here