An Ohio construction crew went looking for the source of an unusual noise inside an excavator and came away with a new employee.
RiverReach Construction operating supervisor Chase Guello was checking a Komatsu excavator at a job site in Leavittsburg on July 14 when he heard what he described as a faint beeping or screeching sound. The source turned out to be a tiny orange kitten inside the machine.
Getting her out required a little more than opening a door. Guello crawled beneath the excavator and removed a skid plate, giving the kitten a route out through the bottom.
The crew brought her into its air-conditioned office trailer, searched for her mother, and eventually found her a home. She also acquired a name, some appropriately sized safety equipment, and a position with the company.
Rescue Mission
Embedded media follows; please allow a moment to load.
RiverReach specializes in environmental construction, including river and stream restoration, dam removal, dredging, and environmental remediation. The company lists its headquarters in Barberton, Ohio.
The kitten, however, was discovered at a job site in Leavittsburg, where RiverReach has been working on the removal of the Leavittsburg Dam for Trumbull County Metroparks.
Guello told WJW that he climbed onto the excavator after hearing the noise and spotted the kitten walking around inside the turret.
He then went underneath the machine and removed the skid plate.
Out came the kitten.
“Once we got her out, we took her into our office trailer for the rest of the day,” Guello told the station.
The crew searched for the kitten’s mother but did not find another cat. Guello said the kitten may have been inside the excavator for a day or two.
RiverReach later shared updates as she recovered with a foster family.
New Hire
The crew eventually settled on a fitting name for a kitten discovered inside a Komatsu: Komatsu, or Sue for short.
Her connection to the equipment manufacturer did not end there.
After word of the rescue reached Komatsu, Sue received her own construction gear, including a kitten-sized high-visibility vest and hard hat.
The arrangement with RiverReach is also expected to last longer than a summer internship.
After roughly two weeks of care, Sue went home with the family of the company’s shop mechanic. Guello told WJW that once she is old enough, she will travel with him to and from work and eventually serve as RiverReach’s shop cat.
RiverReach said it plans to keep posting updates as Sue gets older and begins reporting to the shop.