Construction Workers Rescue Stowaway Cat, Look to Alliance for Help

On June 19, when a shipment of hot water pipes from Pennsylvania arrived at the site of a new building being constructed on West 21st Street at 11th Avenue in Manhattan, workers at the site discovered a little something extra in the shipment. As one of the 20-foot sections of pipe was lifted 200 feet into the air by crane to be placed into a column drilled into the building structure, a dirty, scraggly looking, gray and white adult male cat dropped out of the pipe and jumped into a hole leading down to the floor below.

The concerned construction workers reacted swiftly, and cut into the column enclosure to free the frightened cat. But instead of allowing the workers to rescue him, he ran out and straight to an unprotected edge of some wooden planking more than 150 feet in the air. The workers tried to coax him to come closer, but to no avail. Instead, the frightened cat moved so close to the edge that his hindquarters were dangling over the edge of the slab.

After about 45 minutes of gentle coaxing, Paddy, one of the construction workers, was able to extend his arm far enough to drop a box over the cat. He slowly pulled the box away from the floor edge. When the box was in a more secure spot, he cut a small hole in the top of the box, reached in, scruffed the cat, and placed him into a deep bucket. The workers carried the cat to the construction trailer, where they left him overnight with food and water. He settled in, ate the food, and apparently explored the trailer overnight, as evidenced by kitty footprints on some office paperwork and a pile of fur on one of the desk chair cushions.

The next day, the workers contacted the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’S Animals for help. We enlisted a rescuer from an Alliance Participating Organization to pick up the cat, who we named Paddy after his rescuer, and took him to one of our partner veterinarians. Paddy did not have a microchip, and attempts to determine the origin of the pipes in which he traveled (in the hopes of determining Paddy’s town of origin) were unsuccessful. So Paddy, who already was neutered and determined to be six-to-eight years old, was microchipped, vaccinated, de-wormed, and provided much-needed dental work and a bath. Paddy is currently recovering from his ordeal and resting comfortably at the vet’s office, awaiting adoption.

Paddy definitely has the luck of the Irish, and is looking forward to his new life in the Big Apple. Like so many Little New Yorkers, he was only one good deed away from finding a new beginning. Won’t you help us give more Little New Yorkers the second chances they deserve? Let your donation be your good deed today that helps save a life. Donate now.

And by the way, if you think Paddy might make the perfect addition to your family, e-mail us at adoption@AnimalAllianceNYC.org.