Feb 15 2008
The cat that “swam away” from home
In late March 2003 the Norwegian research vessel Johan Hjort left Bergen (Norway), heading west. Its mission was to examine the blue withing stock on the spawning grounds west of Ireland.
After 7 days of sailing the crew started talking about a strange sound outside. Engines, pumps, fans and wind made a lot of noise, but one sound did not fit in. Three men started searching outside, and on the second floor they found “the sound”. A cat was hiding in a corner behind a winch drum. The poor cat was thin, wet, cold and dirty. The men gave the cat a shower, washing off oil and dirt from its fur.
The crew gave the cat everything a scared and hungry cat could want. After washing up, drying and eating, the cat slept…. and slept..
When the cat was found the vessel was far out in the Atlantic ocean – not far from the rocky islet Rock All – west of Ireland. The cat was therefore called Rockey. The story was soon known in Bergen, and it did not take long to find the owner of the cat. The cats’ real name was Sebastian and he had (of course) been missing for over a week. The cat still had to wait three more weeks before he could meet his owner.
The cat was never alone on the research vessel. Rockey got all the attention he could dream of, and it is not bad being a friend of the chef. A couple of times Rockey got to see the crew and the scientists working outside. Below you can see Rockey on a trawl bag filled with blue withing – an endless supply of food for a cat.
Rockey did not like the noise outside. He preferred being indoors; eating fillets, sleeping and being the main attraction on board. He had his own bed on board, but Rockey preferred the sofa – or a lap.
Rockey returned safely to Bergen, and it was a moving moment when he finally met his owner. This was the last time Rockey explored boats in the harbor. All photos: Øyvind Tangen (The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research).
Hi!
Is it possible that the cat went out to sea to go fishing?
Kidding.
A lovely story!
Yay! Glad that Rockey got rescued and was returned to his Home!
Jazper says, “Wow, all you can eat fish!!!!”
What a cool story. Great you found the owner and the cat was well looked after by crew while on it’s uninvited adventure.
A happy story, and sucha beautiful cat! It just goes to show sometimes you find what you’re not looking for when you go out to do research.
What a great story. I felt so good after reading it. You know how some stories leave you with a good feeling inside? Well Rocky or Sebastian’s story did that for me. I like the way the pictures are inserted between the text too.
Have a nice evening~
Thanks for reading and commenting! The story is unique and in the summer 2003 I was planning to write a book (children book) about the adventure of Rockey. When I had got my hands on all the photos from the survey I heard that at least to others had announced that they would write a book about it. I have not seen any books about Rockey and therefore I thought I might as well share the story on my blog.
What a wonderful story! I’m so glad Rockey/Sebastian found his original owners.
Yes Jen. The first days must have been a nightmare for the cat. It must have been like starting a new life on a new planet – not knowing if it would last forever. Fortunately the cat was taken good care of on board, and his “survey” got a happy ending. The photo below shows how rough it can be in the area where Rockey was “found”. R/V Johan Hjort was then on the same survey in 2004 – without a cat on board:)
What a great story with a happy ending. Boy, Rockey sure had an amazing adventure! It sounds like the crew were very nice and compassionate.
What a lovely story!! I followed A.’s link and I am glad I did!
I really appreciate your comments, and thank you A. for making a link from your blog to the story. I guess this will be the only cat-post on A Fish Blog, so why not show another picture of Rockey on the survey?
LOVE your blog, thanks for entertaining me
Hope there will be more posts soon
regards, terry
ps – sorry im not that good in writing in english because I came from europe – but i understand a lot
Thanks for nice words Terry, and good luck with your blog/website!
I came though from Entrecard to return the drop that you had made on my widget.
I make a point of reading a couple posts out of blogs that drop out of courtesy but I rarely comment.
Being a cat person, I just had to say that the cat is so adorable and kudos for taking care of him
Thanks Shireen! I’ll send a link to this post to those who took care of the cat so that they can read all the nice comments from you!
What a nice story? It moved me.