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Holiday boaters rescue kitty who went to sea

A sad, soggy ball of fur finds salvation from the Gulf of Mexico when eagle-eyed boaters stop to give him a lift - and a new life.

By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published July 9, 2004

	[Courtesy of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium]
	Maggie Rogers gives a cozy spot to recover to a kitten she and her boatmates found afloat in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday. The kitty was adopted by Rogers' sister-in-law.

A group of friends on a scalloping trip were cruising in Homosassa Bay more than 3 miles into the Gulf of Mexico when one of them spotted something the color of a plastic Publix shopping bag in the distance.

"Dog in the water!" shouted Bob Kline to Bob Burkenstock, who was steering the 17-foot Scout Current Drift at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Kline's wife, Maggie Rogers, said she thought maybe it was a piece of sea kelp or a turtle. But it was hard to tell because the boat was going 35 mph.

Amid heavy traffic that day, Burkenstock turned the boat around to take a closer look.

"There was a 9-inch-long kitten doing the paddle and screaming at the top of his lungs," said Rogers, the director of finances at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. "We scooped him up and he sat on the boat with me for eight hours."

The question: How in the world did a kitten get 3 miles out to sea?

Was he an unwanted pet tossed overboard to die? Did he fall off someone's boat?

As long as he wasn't shark bait.

Several fishing guides said they had never heard of people using live pets as bait. Some were appalled at the possibility.

"My opinion is somebody that sick should be put on a hook himself," said Wade Osborne, owner of Afishionado Guide Services and owner of three cats. "My opinion is he could have fallen off a sailboat."

Indeed, there were at least 40 boats in the area when the Current Drift passed between Mile Marker 22 and 24, where the kitten was spotted.

For the rest of the day, Rogers held the kitten in her lap trying to comfort him while the others went scalloping.

"He was exhausted and stressed," Rogers said. "His heart rate was high."

When anyone approached, he cowered and ran for cover behind Rogers' back.

But he never cried.

"I said to Bob, "Maybe he had screamed himself hoarse,"' Rogers said.

The boaters took the apricot-colored kitty back to a cabin where they were spending the holiday weekend and gave him a room of his own.

He was terrified, especially of the sound of running water. For two days, he would not eat or drink.

When the Rogers got home to St. Petersburg, he took up residence in their shower stall - a dry one. On Tuesday, they took the kitten to their vet, Dr. Kevin Rose of the St. Pete Beach Veterinary Clinic.

Aside from having worms, the 10-week-old kitten, all 1 pound, six ounces of him, is in good health.

He was adopted by Rogers' sister-in-law.

His name?

Nemo, of course.

Eileen Schulte can be reached at 727 445-4153 or schulte@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 9, 2004, 01:08:25]