Posted on 06/18/2009 1:08:22 PM PDT by JoeProBono
A black cat named Socks miraculously survived a month trapped in a 20ft industrial storage container - by licking condensation on its walls.
The 11-month-old feline reunited with its owners after electrician Murray Ruxton found it inside the container.
He survived 35 days without food or water by licking condensation from the sides of the metal unit in Arbroath, Angus. Socks went missing on May 13 and owner Michelle Maher, of Arbroath, reported him missing to the charity Cats Protection.
"I was just going through some stock and I saw something out the corner of my eye, shuffling about," the Scotsman quoted Ruxton as saying.
"When I realised it was a cat I knew straightaway he must be in trouble as none of us had visited the unit for at least four weeks.
"He was really friendly and came up to me but I realised how thin he was and was very concerned, so I rang Cats Protection, and a volunteer came straight out. I'm amazed by him and so thrilled he is doing well.
"I am planning to go and see him and say hello properly.
"None of the staff had spotted him sneaking into the container. We're all just thrilled he's okay," he added.
Maher, of Arbroath, is overjoyed to have her cat back.
"I couldn't believe it, I still can't believe it - I am just overjoyed," she said.
"I was desperate to find him and had been searching the streets and putting posters up. I had started to give up hope.
"When I went to the vets and saw him I just burst into tears. He was the same old Socks and was purring and rubbing up against me. I thought he would look very unwell, but he doesn't look too bad and has obviously been grooming his coat a lot.
"I am just so happy to have him back," she added.
Iron is good for your health...
One down. Eight to go.
That cat looks like my cat.
OK, just how the h—l do they know that the cat was licking the moisture off the walls????
Have they issued an APB for a Mr. Schrodinger?
.
35 days on water licked off walls?
I bet he got a rat or two.
He said so in the debriefing at MI5
Missing paint?
He'll be tried for both murder and attempted murder, as the cat was discovered to be both dead AND alive the instant the box was opened.
Ah....You noticed....Same brains that figured out evolution.
Which edge of the box did they catch the cat at?
Hillary put him there. The cat survived more than eight years. Who do they think they’re kidding?
Awww that’s nothing, I survived 2 weeks on nothing but rum and cokes and bar snacks!
The cat probably just slept for the 35 days...
rum and cokes and bar snacks!
A man walked into a bar, sat down with no one around, ordered a beer and heard someone whisper “nice tie”..he looked around, saw no one..a few minutes later he heard someone say “nice suit”..confused, he called the bartender over and told him what was going on..the bartender said “don’t worry about it. it’s the beer nuts. they’re complimentary”..
(drum roll) thank you, thank you..I’ll be here till thursday, try the veal..
The cat was a Cheshire/Schrodinger mix, who might (or might not) have been grinning during the ordeal.
Awwww....
*snif*
I just hope the owners have the sense to run kidney function tests on the poor thing.
Dehydration is deadly for cats.
How do we know he was in there for 35 days??
He’s fine now, and no doubt fattening back up on chicken and tuna.
Yahbut...how lonely could he have been?
Cold, dark, wet ALONE.
Some cats are just awesome critters!!
Ah...but for 15 minutes of fame!!!
They’re assuming condensation because it’s absolutely impossible for a cat to survive without water for 35 days. Personally I suspect that either there’s some rain leakage into the container that provided a lot more water than just condensation could have, or the cat was somewhere else for a good portion of the 35 days it was missing, and got trapped in the container more recently.
Depends on the weather I guess. With the right combination of humidity and heat during the day and sharp temperature drops at night, I supposed enough condensation could occur in a container that size to support a cat, especially if it was running down the walls to a level where the cat could get it, or the cat was able to access the full height of the walls by climbing on things inside. And it’s true that young cats with healthy kidneys don’t need nearly as much water as most mammals of the same size. Cats have very efficient kidneys until they get older.
I rather doubt there were rats or mice in there — those critters LOVE to chew the insulation off electrical wiring, so I have to think that if the container was used to store electrical supplies, it wouldn’t have had holes big enough for rodents to get in. But who knows what sort of stuff was being kept in there. Perhaps kitty did get a few mice, but I think the more likely explanation is that kitty only got trapped in there recently.
Like I said...I’m certain the cat was NOT in there for 35 days.
I will never understand the cavalier approach to pet ownership that cat owners tell me is normal.
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