By KIM BRADLEY, TORONTO SUN
Moses the cat gets some attention yesterday from Humane Society spokesman Linda Elmy after he was found in a tote bag submerged in the Don River April 16. (Craig Robertson, SUN)
THE DON River nearly claimed the last of Moses' nine lives. The orange tabby cat was on its last legs when animal lovers Ivor and Shirley Oram pulled it from the freezing cold Don River.
It had been stuffed inside a bright-blue tote bag with the word Global on the side and sent floating down the river.
"He was at the point where I think we'd heard his last cry," Ivor Oram said of the cat's state when he opened the bag to find the soaking wet, nearly dead feline.
"It was touch and go."
Oram, 62, and his wife were out for a walk on Saturday, April 16 in a ravine at Finch and Cummer Aves., near the Don River, when they heard a cat howling.
The couple looked around for it for a while, but it seemed to be moving, recalled the father of six.
"We realize now that's because the cat was floating down the river," he said.
They moved closer to the water to investigate the noise when they saw a blue travel tote bag stuck on some rocks.
Oram took off his shoes and socks and waded into the icy water to retrieve the bag.
Once safely back on shore, Oram opened the bag only to find the orange tabby, believed to be between 1 and 3 years old, partially submerged in water inside and barely alive.
"The water was really cold and if I was cold, imagine what it was like for a cat," he said.
Oram immediately bundled the cat in his clothing and he and his wife hurried home. When they got home, they called the Humane Society and were told to bring it in for emergency care.
"We knew there was some life left in him because he'd let out a cry every now and then," said Oram, who intends to adopt the cat once it's healthy enough. They already have three cats and a dog at home and believe Moses would fit in.
Since his rescue the "miracle kitty" has been making a remarkable comeback, said Linda Elmy, Toronto Humane Society spokesman.
"He's a fighter," she said.
Society staff named the cat for Moses who the Bible says was rescued as a baby from a river by an Egyptian princess.
Elmy said investigators are looking into who would have done such a terrible thing. Anyone with information on this case can call 416-392-2273.
