New York Cat Survives 26-story Fall
A well-named Lucky the Cat is back home after a 26-story plunge from a Manhattan highrise.
In something of a freak accident, Keri Hostetler was cleaning her apartment in preparation for visting guests. She cracked open a window a few inches — something she “never, ever did” — to air the place out. Leaving the door ajar, she left to work on her laundry.
“I came back up from doing laundry and saw that the room where the window was open — the door was open. I rushed in to the window and saw the window washers kind of waving for me.”
Directly across the street, two men on scaffolding spotted Lucky on the narrow ledge.
“The cat was on the ledge and we saw it trying to turn a corner. But there was no ledge for him to step on,” said John Hayes. “My partner told me to get my camera, so I did.”
Lucky fell 26 stories and landed on a cement balcony. Hayes snapped three photos: Lucky on the ledge, Lucky in midair, and Lucky’s landing.
Back in the apartment, Keri realized to late that Lucky was missing. “I ran around the apartment screaming for him,” she said. “And then I saw the window and I knew what had happened.” When she went to the window, Hayes was signaling her, letting her know that Lucky had fallen.
Lucky was rushed to a vet, where he was treated for minor injuries — a broken toe and a broken lower jaw.
I’m happy Lucky is OK. I just wish his dimwit owner said she was putting in screens.
When I lived in Manhattan my cat learned how to open the window screen and out he went jumping up to catch a bird not realizing he couldn’t fly. He fell 3 stories, was unhurt but I took him to the vet anyway and the vet said he called this sort of thing “urban high-rise aviation” and it happened often in the spring.
Why is the owner grinning? Is she not ‘all there’?
I know she must be happy that Lucky is alive but the word Raypod uses – ‘dimwit’ – seems very apt.
I guess Lucky has lived up to his name. I’m so glad he survived.
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. This three-year-old tabby is Lucky by name and nature, after miraculously surviving a 26-storey fall from his Manhattan apartment.
Owner Keri Hostetler had opened the window just a few centimetres to air the place out before she noticed Lucky was missing.
Meanwhile, two workmen on scaffolding on 30th floor of the opposite building saw the cat plunge from the ledge.
Lucky landed on a sixth floor balcony where one of the workmen, John Hayes, found him with only a broken toe and a broken lower jaw.
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