A Kitten Got Trapped Inside a 20-Ton Excavator. The Construction Crew Adopted Her.
Chase Guello was at a job site in Barberton, Ohio in July when he heard something that didn't belong — tiny, desperate cries coming from inside one of River Reach Construction's Komatsu excavators.
He followed the sound. Then he pulled off the skid plate at the bottom of the machine.
A kitten fell out.
"Here's our rescue mission of the day. Normally it's a piece of equipment, but it's this little guy," Guello said in video of the rescue.
The crew searched the surrounding area for the kitten's mother. Nothing. No other cats. No sign of where she came from or how she ended up inside the bottom of a Komatsu excavator at a construction site. Guello brought her into the office trailer, suspecting she may have been trapped in the summer heat for a day or two. Given the July heat in Ohio, getting her out when they did likely saved her life.
The crew arranged care through a contact at One of a Kind Pet Rescue. After a couple of weeks, the shop mechanic — a guy named Jared — took over, bringing the kitten back and forth between home and work. When she's old enough, she'll become the company's official shop cat.
They named her Komatsu — Sue for short — after the brand of excavator she was found in.
Then Komatsu the Company Got Involved
The story might have stayed local if River Reach Construction hadn't posted the rescue video on social media. It didn't stay local.
The construction equipment company Komatsu sent Guello a package for Sue that included a miniature safety vest and hard hat, which she modeled in a July 30 post.
Photos of a tiny orange kitten wearing a miniature hard hat and safety vest next to toy excavators hit the internet and did exactly what you'd expect them to do. Millions of people have now seen images of a cat named after heavy machinery wearing PPE next to miniature versions of the machine she was rescued from.
A July 16 update confirmed Sue was healthy, playful, and eating well. She has a growing fanbase. She has a job waiting for her. She has a safety vest that fits.
The Part That's Easy to Overlook
Small animals trapped in machinery, vehicles, or enclosed spaces during summer heat face serious danger fast. A kitten trapped in a skid plate in July Ohio heat, possibly for a day or two before being found, was in real trouble. Getting her out quickly and moving her indoors likely made a major difference.
Most construction crews would have heard the sound, debated what to do, and eventually moved on. Guello stopped, followed the noise, pulled the skid plate, and got her out. The rest is Sue's story to tell.
She'll be at the shop when you need her. Hard hat and all.
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