Our First CAT-astrophe!!!

Okay, so one of the things we've always talked about hoping would never happen happened! Tiger (the big orange cat of ours) almost drowned!!! Thank God I was able to fish him out of the water in time! We had just returned from Satchel's swim lessons and Diron took him straight to the shower. I went to the boat to get the shower stuff and had the hatch open. We let the cats walk around on deck in the day but not at night. It was dusk and I was grabbing the last bit and heard a big splash. It took me a few seconds to register that it was kind of a larger splash than the ducks usually make so I went out on the deck. I yelled for Tiger but there were a couple of ducks splashing off away from our boat so figured it must have been them. I went back down below to look for him and he was nowhere...which is when it hit me that it must have been him!!! I ran out onto the pier and could hear really heavy dog paddling (or cat paddling should I say) noises under the floating docks. I repeatedly yelled for him and was on my knees looking under the docks. He let out a big moan a couple of times and I was starting to get a little panicked. Finally, he paddled out from under the dock and showed up between the stern (end) of our boat and the dock. Poor thing was gasping and paddling (and weighted down by all that long hair he has!) I got down and tried to grab his scruff but missed and finally got him by the neck and pulled him out. He was soaked to the bone, freezing (it was in the upper 40's) and gasping. Poor kitty! I carried him in dripping and dried him really well, turned on the electric blanket and put him on the bed on it. I was still a little shaky when I went to meet Diron and Satchel to give Satchel his bath. I told Diron "yeah, i know I took a while but I was too busy pulling Tiger out of the water from trying to drown!" CRAZY but so glad he is okay! I think he jumped in after a duck but hopefully he learned his lesson!! If it would have been just a few seconds later I would have left and never known he was in the water ): A poor couple living on a sailboat several docks over found her kitty dead in the water on one of the freeze nights. Poor little thing! As of now everyone is safe and well. I however, am wearing one of my scopalmine patches today bc of the high winds and "noreastern" coming through. So, I feel just fine!