Man Dives In: Rescues Jonah Kitten From Drowning

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Jonah was thrown into the River Faughan in Drumahoe, Ireland last Thursday and he is alive today because a man leaped off his motorbike, jumped in and rescued him.

A man stood on a bridge over the River Faughan on August 4 and threw five kittens into the water. Our good Samaritan, a Derry resident who wishes to keep his name private, came along on his motorbike, witnessed the incident and tried to stop the man from throwing the kittens by shouting to him. That did no good so he followed his impulses and jumped into the water to try to rescue the little victims.

Sadly, four were swept away, but Jonah was saved and taken to the Rainbow Rehoming Centre, which serves Derry and the surrounding area.

The Centre has determined that Jonah is about 12 to 13 weeks old. He will be looking for a good home.

The photo at the top of this story was taken the day of the incident. Jonah appears alert and well, except for the look in his eyes. We trust that he is recovering from the experience and is feeling better now. He has been visited in recent days by local animal lovers who say he is gorgeous and looking very good.

Area residents have expressed all the expected sentiments about the perpetrator of the terrible act. We can well understand those sentiments. and the sorrow for the kittens who died, but choose to take what good we can from the incident and to celebrate the good Samaritan who stepped in without any thought for his own safety, and Jonah, the kitten he saved.

The Samaritan’s brother, who took Jonah to the Centre after the rescue, says of our hero “I think it was very brave of him to get into the water like that and he didn’t think about his own safety at all. He is an animal lover and we have a couple of dogs that he loves to take for walks.”

For every abuser there many good people and rescuers, and little Jonah, at least, was lucky a rescuer came along when he needed him.

Note: The other kittens may not have been Jonah’s littermates.  We expect to publish a followup post with more on this incident.

Karen Harrison Binette

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0 thoughts on “Man Dives In: Rescues Jonah Kitten From Drowning”

  7. How can anybody throw an animal into a river to drown. That’s just evil. Thank God for the kind-hearted angel who saved Jonah!

  8. I have to believe that there are MORE people that RESCUE animals than abuse them, I JUST HAVE TO~!
    Thank you so very much, from the bottom of my heart~!
    God bless this Irishman, wish I could buy him a Guiness~! :*)

  9. Wow…. that is just cruel. How someone could just throw innocent kittens into a river is something I’ll never understand. And I studied Psychology too. :/ Gee. Thank god there was someone like that man.

  14. I’ll shut up. I’m glad Jonah was rescued and hope he has the best home with people that love him.

  15. i love everyday good Samaritans 😀 am glad kittie is safe and i hope the ones who through him get the justice they deserve

  17. Don’t shut up, William, you speak your mind. The loss of 4 kittens is tragic…someone should pay for this! I do give the man who saved Jonah is a TRUE HERO…we need more like him in our lives! <3

  18. I wonder why people do that.. to drown kittens… It’s been told for centuries.. I just don’t understand it.

  20. I don’t either…crimes against children, the elderly and cats…all the most vulnerable victims. People who hurt them are just weak individuals. To hurt someone who cannot fight back is morally, emotionally and mentally bankrupt.

  22. Now THAT’S a REAL man!!! We need more people like this good Samaritan that’s for sure!!! Monsters abuse animals because they don’t get in trouble for it!!!

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