Cowes lifeboat called on to rescue trapped cat
As rescues go this was something out of the ordinary for the crew of Cowes RNLI lifeboat as they were ending an exercise on Sunday (January 14).
The volunteer crew were tasked by the Coastguard after a cat as spotted trapped under a pontoon at East Cowes Marina.
On arrival the crew and Marina staff managed to reach the beleaguered feline by partially dismantling the wooden structure.
The cat duly sprang to freedom, to continue its prowl of the surroundings; and the lifeboat crew - with not a scratch between them - was able to return to station, arriving at 2.32 pm.
Later the station was contacted by the grateful woman owner of the cat, who said she had been looking for the cat all night before hearing plaintive mewing from under the pontoon at 1pm today.
An RNLI spokesperson said: ‘We’re glad to have reunited this missing cat with his owner. Our lifesavers not only want to save creatures at risk of drowning, but they want to prevent people putting themselves in danger trying to rescue the animals.’
But the lifeboat’s exercise had yet one more eventful twist to go…As it was proceeding down-river it was hailed by the crew of a tender that had run of fuel. So the lifeboat assumed its rescue mode once again – towing the craft to Shepards Marina.
It finally arrived back at the lifeboat station at 3.22 pm.
RNLI media contact
- George Chastney, Cowes RNLI Volunteer Press Officer 07530 254052/ [email protected]
- Hattie Mellor, Regional Communications Manager ([email protected]) For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
· RNLI online: For more information on the RNLI please visit http://www.cowes-lifeboat.org.uk or http://www.rnli.org/ Cowes Lifeboat Station can also be found on Facebook and Twitter
· News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre.
Key facts about the RNLI: The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea. Our volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland from 236 lifeboat stations, including four along the River Thames and inland lifeboat stations at Loch Ness, Lough Derg, Enniskillen and Lough Ree. Additionally the RNLI has more than 1,000 lifeguards on over 180 beaches around the UK and operates a specialist flood rescue team, which can respond anywhere across the UK and Ireland when inland flooding puts lives at risk. A charity registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SC037736). Charity number CHY 2678 in the Republic of Ireland.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.