Lucky the cat’s new lease on life after being rescued from a ship in dry dock on the Port River

WHEN Aivars and Sarah first met the cat they would later name “Lucky” he was anything but his namesake. The young cat was clinging to dear life on a tyre attached to a ship, in dry dock on the Port River.

Sarah and Aivars with their cat Lucky, whom they adopted after rescuing him from the Port River. Picture: Tait Schmaal

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WHEN Aivars and Sarah first met the cat they would later name “Lucky” he was anything but his namesake.

The young male cat was clinging to dear life on a tyre attached to a ship, in dry dock on the Port River.

The couple, who did not wish their surname published, had gone kayaking on April 29 but the rough weather had forced them to take shelter in the calm water around the docks.

As they were preparing to row back to their car they spotted Lucky perched on the tyre, very miserable and malnourished.

Aivars paddles over to Lucky the cat, perched on a tyre off a ship in the Port River.

“He was thin, covered in dry sea salt and in distress,” Aivars said.

The couple rowed over to try and retrieve the trapped feline with Sarah having to hold Aivars’ kayak steady as he reached up to grab Lucky.

Once on board Aivars tried to row back to shore one-handed with Lucky under one arm and the paddle in the other.

“In the end we had to tie the kayaks together and joint paddle back to shore,” Aivars said.

“He was already pretty chilled with us, in the car on the way to the RSPCA he fell asleep in the back seat.”

Lucky is taken to the RSPCA to recover.

Once at the RSPCA, Lucky was nursed back to health.

Carolyn Jones from the RSPCA said Lucky was severely malnourished but bounced back quickly, putting on enough weight that he could be desexed and microchipped.

How Lucky ended up on his precarious perch is anyone’s guess. Ms Jones said cats were naturally curious animals and often found themselves in unfortunate situations.

“Cats never cease to surprise us,” Ms Jones said. “But given the set up it is hard to tell how Lucky ended up in his position.”

Aivars and Sarah have now adopted Lucky, giving him a new home and a fresh lease on life.

The RSPCA has more than 314 cats and kittens looking for new homes at their Lonsdale shelter. They are currently at capacity and have cut the adoption price of cats to $50 and kittens to $150.

The average cost of caring for an adult cat at Lonsdale is $19 a day, with the RSPCA looking to ease the load on their stretched facilities.

You can find out more about adopting a cat from the RSPCA here.