CATS’ JOURNEY

Hokitika Guardian, 21 September 1927, Page 1

CATS’ JOURNEY

TRAVEL OVER COO MILES. SYDNEY, Sept. 8. Two cats which recently made an enforced voyage from Newcastle to Melbourne needed every ono of their proverbial nine lives to come through the ordeal without harm. Buried under a cargo of 850 tons of coal, they made the voyage, over COO miles, ill rough weather, and when rescued were emaciated to tho verge of death.

Evidently the cats had been placed in the hold of the collier, the. Period, by some cruel joker, or some inhuman person who thought this a better method of ridding himself of them than dropping them in the harbour with a brick round eneli of their necks. When wlmrf labourers were unloading tbo Period at Melbourne, the bold being practically empty, an inquisitive stevedore investigated a crushed and battered kerosene case lying among the remnants of the coal cargo. He was startled to hear a thin, plaintive call come from the ease, and investigating. found the two grimy, extremely thin tabby cats. The. ninth of their proverbial lives seemed to have run its course when the kindly stevedore found them. He carried them upon to the dack, and, revived by the air. both eats sprang into activity. One leapt, from its rescuer’s hands and was not recaptured for two hours.

Meanwhile the other had been given plentiful supplies of milk, which was lapped up greedily, a feat that was copied hy t.lio second gaunt cat when it was again caught. How the animals managed to survive the awful ordeal of ten days’ rough voyage beneath the crushing weight of SdO tons of coal, .without food or drink, and in an airless prison, only the battered kerosene ease could tell, >f it could talk.