July 14 was an unusual day for Chase Guello, an operating supervisor at River Reach Construction. He was just getting his day started when he realized a small kitten had fallen into the site’s excavator and was crying for help.
“Rescue mission for the day,” Guello said in the video, which has since garnered over 610,000 views. “Normally, it’s a piece of equipment. Right now, it’s this little guy. There’s a cat stuck.”
After taking off the excavator’s skid plate with a drill, Guello watched in surprise as the kitten plopped straight down in what Instagram users called “a superhero landing.”
The brand of the equipment, Komatsu, would go on to inspire the kitten’s name, which was shortened to “Sue.”
In a follow-up video posted the same day, Guello said that they searched the construction site thoroughly but found no sign of Sue’s mother or siblings.
Although their hopes for a reunion were dashed, Guello knew that Sue would be in safe hands, explaining that his mother’s friend worked at One of a Kind Pets, a pet rescue and adoption center in Akron, Ohio.
“She has a lot of experience in fostering kittens,” Guello said. “So she is going to take care of the kitten for the next two to three weeks until the kitten’s old enough, and then it is going to get turned over to our shop mechanic.”
“His name is Jared; he grew up on a farm, has a lot of experience with animals also,” Guello said. “The kitten will go back and forth from work to his house with them every day until she’s old enough to be a shop cat.”
Guello continued posting updates of Sue throughout July, saying that she had gotten a clean bill of health at the vet and was adjusting well to life with Jared.
On July 30, River Reach shared photos of Sue sporting a custom-sized hard hat and safety vest, made by Komatsu itself.
“We think Sue is ready for the job site!” the company wrote on Instagram.
“Huge thank you to [Komatsu North America] for the continued support, and an even bigger thank you to all of you for the incredible love you’ve shown this little one. We truly appreciate every like, comment, and message. It means more than you know.”
River Reach is a leading environmental restoration contractor in the state of Ohio.
Since 1992, it has specialized in river and stream restoration, dam removal and dredging, wetland mitigation, environmental remediation, and stormwater management.
Guello said Sue’s journey has shined an unexpected light on his family’s company.
“I’m far from a celebrity,” Guello said in an Instagram Live on August 28. “Just happened to rescue a little kitty on a construction site, is all.”
“I’m just glad I can share it with you guys and that our company is getting a little bit of exposure,” he added. “It’s definitely cool seeing people take a little bit — and I understand you’re more interested in the cat — but taking a little bit of interest in the work that we do and that we give back to the environment.”
In his latest update, Guello estimated that Sue was at least two months old and already fast outgrowing her custom-made equipment.
“Kamatsu is sending us a bigger hat and bigger vest,” he laughed.
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Featured Image: RiverReach Construction/Instagram
