Montana Firefighters Rescue a Lucky Calico Cat Who Was Caged and Purposefully Thrown into an Icy River

Lucky and Josh Macrow

"It's the sweetest cat. It sits on your shoulder when you drive down the road and it curled up with my black labs this morning."
-- Josh Macrow

Regardless of whatever else may be said about human nature there is no denying that man is equally capable of unspeakable acts of cruelty and extraordinary displays of kindness. This dichotomy was never more evident than in the recent case of a calico cat named Lucky from Missoula, Montana.

Starved to the point of being little more than skin and bones and with fur missing from around her neck as the result of a collar which had been fastened so tight that it is a wonder that it did not strangle her, Lucky was locked in a cage weighted down with a sixteen-pound rock and then tossed off the California Street footbridge into the icy waters of the Clark Fork River. Fortunately, the cage landed on the ice instead of in the water and the poor cat was spotted by passersby on December 27th who in turn notified the Missoula Fire Department. Firemen donned wet suits and used a boat to save the cat from a sure and certain frigid death.

It is not known how long Lucky had been in the river but more than likely she was tossed in on Boxing Day. There exists a certain percentage of pet owners who, not having the guts to either kill or abandon a pet on Christmas, have absolutely no qualms about doing the same thing as soon as the holiday is over.

The kindhearted firemen took the friendly cat back to the East Pine Street firehouse where they treated it to leftover turkey and a bowl of milk. Not wanting the cat to be put through any more pain, firefighter Josh Macrow decided to adopt the cat as a present for his twelve-year-old daughter, Taylor.

Speaking of the cat which he named Lucky, Macrow told the Missoulian, "It's the sweetest cat. It sits on your shoulder when you drive down the road and it curled up with my black labs this morning."

After the Missoulian broke the story it was picked up by CNN and this has prompted an avalanche of mail and phone calls from cat lovers as far away as the Netherlands wishing not only to thank the firemen for rescuing Lucky but also offering to help pay her medical bills. It is expected that the money already contributed will be sufficient to pay for her treatment with the remainder going to the Humane Society of Western Montana in Missoula.

As for the monster who tried to drown Lucky in the river, the Humane Society of the United States is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to his or her apprehension.

It is difficult to conceive of how anyone could be so morally depraved as to do what was done to Lucky. From press reports it does not appear that she was seriously injured from either her plunge off the bridge or exposure to the elements.

Perhaps more importantly the tragic incident has apparently not shaken her faith in humans. With Josh and Taylor Macrow now as her guardians she will hopefully receive the love and care that she so richly deserves.

Not only is Macrow to be commended for his willingness to provide Lucky with a good home but praise is also in order for the entire fire department for mounting the successful rescue effort. The kindness and care that they have shown Lucky was truly beautiful. Tragic events like this do not always have happy endings, but this time around the forces of goodness trumped those of evil.

Photo: The Missoulian.