An Ohio environmental restoration contractor has gotten a lot of attention recently on social media and from news outlets after rescuing a kitten stuck in a Komatsu excavator.
River Reach Construction of Barberton has been chronicling the adventures of “Komatsu” the kitten, called Sue for short, after its first post July 14 of a video of the kitten stuck in the company’s PC290LC Long Reach excavator. The Instagram post got 6 million views, and the story ended up on "Good Morning America." (Check out the rescue video at the end of this story.)
Chase Guello, River Reach operating supervisor, was on the job when they heard a kitten crying from within the excavator’s turret. Guello had to remove the skid plate, causing the kitten to drop to the ground.
They couldn’t find its mother, and there were no signs of other cats around.
“I don’t know how it got there,” Guello says in an update video.
After getting some foster care until she was ready to be returned, the kitten is now part of the River Reach crew.
And people can’t seem to get enough of the new member of the team, with posts often asking about Sue and what she’s up to.
The company conducted a poll on social media to give her a name.
The popular favorite was “Komatsu.” The crew shortened it to Sue — adding an “E” to match conventional spelling.
Powered byKomatsu North America was also watching the company’s posts and sent in some specially designed PPE for Sue to wear — a tiny reflective vest and hard hat.
Here’s River Reach’s Facebook video post of Sue’s rescue:
For more of Sue’s saga, check out River Reach’s Facebook page here.
Here are some photos of Sue by River Reach Construction:
Sue is ready to go to work.River Reach Construction
Sue is held by her rescuer Chase Guello with the River Reach Construction team.River Reach Construction
Sue undergoes training.River Reach Construction
