Cat Overboard

While most readers are freezing at the moment, it is not all that warm here either. Maybe low 60's outside. We have had a brisk northeast breeze for a couple of days and it will continue through at least half of the weekend. So today was planned to be spent aboard doing some chores and reading. I was busy installing an electric raw water backup electric pump and Carol was in the cockpit where it was a toasty 85 and reading.

All of a sudden we heard quite a ruckus and actually thought a person was yelling at us. It turned out to be a good size cat swimming next to our boat and screaming for help. I got out our boat hook and the cat grabbed on for dear life. My dinghy was up on it's davits and we don't have a net so we were lost for what to do next. Fortunately Larry next door heard the noise and got in his dinghy with a small landing net. We managed to snag the cat and I jumped into his dinghy to help with the rescue. Neither Larry or I are cat people and we didn't want the frightened animal clawing at us in the inflatable. The woman on the next boat upwind is a veterinarian technician and she volunteered to take the distressed animal - Larry and I were happy to oblige.

We later discovered that the cat belonged to a neighbor, Risky Business a young couple from Ocracoke Island. Risky Business doesn't have an outboard for their dinghy, since it was very windy they were offered a ride into the marina by a neighbor, Tom who also has a cat. So the cat from RB was left with Tom's cat to hang out for the morning. Apparently she got bored and decided to swim over to her own boat which is equipped with a cat boarding ladder. (Large diameter rope hanging over the side). But she did not figure on the wind or current and ended up screaming for help along side our down wind & current boat.

Anyhow all is well that ends well.