Kittens Rescued From Frozen Paw Peril

by Kimberly Coleman

Freezing train tracks and wet fur do not mix - a fact that three mountain lion cubs recently found out the hard way.

While inspecting a section of track near Butte, Montana, Pat O'Rourke found three distressed kittens, apparently stuck on the railroad tracks.

O'Rourke's first attempt to get the kittens off the track - by gently nudging them with a shovel - was unsuccessful. He then realized that the kittens weren't merely lying on the track; they were frozen to the metal. And the rail, which is used by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe RailRoad, was an active line.

O'Rourke retrieved his coffee thermos and tried pouring warm coffee over the paw of one of the kittens, but the track maintained its frigid grip.

"They kept licking their paws, and the more they licked, the more stuck they got," he said. "It seemed like every time they moved one thing, something else got stuck."

At that point, O'Rourke called the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Department for assistance.

Montana game warden Marty Vook soon arrived, bringing hot water with him, and the two men finally freed the kittens, one by one, from their icy trap. Luckily for the kittens, the approaching train had been held back.

After the efforts of Vook and O'Rourke saved them from a squidgy demise on the railroad, the three kittens - presumably with eight remaining lives apiece - returned to their mother, who had been observing the hair raising rescue from a nearby ridge.

Vook said the kittens had probably got into trouble after they swam or paddled across Silver Bow Creek. The ten degree November temperatures, combined with their wet fur, would have resulted in the kittens literally freezing to the steel when they attempted to cross the train tracks.

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.