Ship's cats survive sinking

Who doesn't like a good ship's cat story? The Schneiders, a couple who run a 60-foot tuna boat, had an engine explosion 80 miles off the Oregon coast last week. The boat sank quickly, causing them to don survival suits and abandon ship, but they were picked up within 20 minutes by another fishing boat. They continued to call their two cats who had been on board.  One cat, Topaz, was in the ocean and made it to the rescue boat. The other cat, named Jasper, was still on the bow as the ship sank out of sight (see great photo by Mark Schneider), then managed to swim 100 yards to join them. The Schneiders have lost their home, business and possessions, but came away with all on board unharmed, including two very special cats.

Photo by Mark Schneider, Canadian Press

• News article: http://www.castanet.net
• Cruising with Pets: http://boating.ncf.ca/pets.html