Ya gotta be kitten? Cat pulled alive from Liffey by passersby

The man who captured the viral video of a cat being rescued from the river Liffey in Dublin last week said the act was a “very fine example of humans coming together”.

Lorcan Collins (47), a Dublin tour guide, said he was terrified the cat was going to drown in front of the on looking crowds.

“It fell into the Liffey on the other side and swam over across the river. It was in there for at least twenty minutes. For a brief moment it looked like he was going to go down. I really thought he was going to drown” Mr Collins said.

"Then a brave guy, he was from Asia, jumped up and threw the buoy into the river. He was dangling his legs over the side, it was very brave. They were pretty quick thinking.

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“It was a very fine example of humans coming together in a positive manner. He pulled him out and there was a palpable sense of relief,” Mr Collins said.

Lorcan Collins, who runs the ‘1916 Rebellion walking tour’ said he was leading a tour towards Dublin Castle last Thursday May 4th when he witnessed the scene.

Suddenly people started to shout that there was a cat swimming across the Liffey, he said.

The cat was rescued by an Asian man and a South American woman. A large crowd of tourists and Dubliners had gathered on the bridge and were watching the cat in the Liffey.

‘Colourful advice’

“In a uniquely Dublin way several of the local young lads were on the sidelines shouting useless, colourful advice to the pair pulling it up” Mr Collins said.

The pair who rescued the cat are living in Dublin, and are thought to have taken the cat home with them afterwards.

“The woman was very concerned for the cat, as there was quite a big crowd around them when it was pulled out. I think she was afraid the cat would get scared”.

Mr Collins said he didn’t get a chance to stay and get the names of the pair who rescued the feline.

The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) said the cat in question wasn’t left with them in any of their animal shelters following its rescue, and it is believed the couple who saved it have rehomed it.

“It was a great scene, there was a real feel good factor from the crowd after it was saved” Mr Collins, who is a local historian and has been running a 1916 tour for 21 years said.

“I don’t think it was thrown into the Liffey in the first place. I think it might have been near a drain and fell into the Liffey” Mr Collins said.

The cat was rescued at Grattan's bridge, which runs over from Capel Street to Temple Bar.

If the mystery pair who saved the cat - or anyone who has heard of the lucky feline's fate - want to get in touch with The Irish Times they can contact newsdesk@irishtimes.com.