Boaters find kitten swimming 3 miles offshore

[JTF]

Boaters find kitten swimming 3 miles offshore in Gulf of Mexico



Associated Press

July 9, 2004, 9:37 AM EDT

ST. PETERSBURG -- When Maggie Rogers spotted something bobbing in the water three miles into the Gulf of Mexico while on a scalloping trip with friends, she assumed it was a turtle, or a piece of sea kelp.

But as the boat got closer and slowed down, she found it was a tiny, apricot-colored kitten. Nine inches long and screaming at the top of its lungs, 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 on the 17-foot Scout Current Drift did not know how the kitten arrived in the Homosassa Bay. There were at least 40 boats in the crowded area where he was found, they said.

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

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

[img]http://www.richardpryor.com/forums/attachments/nemo.jpg[/img]
[img]https://richardpryor.com/forums/images/ ... h/nemo.jpg[/img]

[Jennifer]

JTF,
aah-that is a sweet story....

[JTF]

Jennifer,

Yeah. I try to be the big, tough, crass guy. Once in a while though, I can turn into a big softy...

[ClarkWashington]

JTF,

I'm with ya man. I can hear about all sorts of bad things happening to people and it doesn't bother me nearly as bad as when I hear about bad things happening to animals. The most outraged I've been in a long time was when I read a story about some guys putting a little live kitten on a grill. They were laughing at the poor thing as it cried. A neighbor rescued the kitten, but it ended up dying anyhow. It's frightening to think what I would do to those guys if given the chance.

Stories like this one about people HELPING an animal are what keep me from completely losing all faith in the goodness of Man. This board helps too, and the knowledge that Richard and Jennifer are right there with me, fighting the fight.

[Jennifer]

ClarkWashington,
I would have grilled those bastards, eyeballs first!!!

[cbreez0101]

JTF,

such a cute putty-tat! and a survivor like Richard.

cb

[mstobi]

God has emailed Satan, requesting a special room in hell for them.