Firefighter saves same cat twice

Wednesday, August 04, 2010
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alt — Coweta Firefighter Jim Cadenhead holds the cat following the rescue from a well in late June.

By ELIZABETH RICHARDSON erichardson@newnan.com A firefighter who rescued a cat from a well in west Coweta on June 29 stepped up to rescue the cat a second time on Tuesday. The cat, which was taken into the custody of Coweta County Animal Control following its rescue a month ago, was scheduled to be euthanized Wednesday morning. No one claimed the furry feline, which suffered from fleas, and it was not apparent whether it was wild or domesticated.

The Coweta County firefighter who descended 40 feet into a well at 866 Welcome to Arnco Road to rescue the cat on June 29 decided "for it to die tomorrow would be a waste of what we did." Coweta firefighter Jim Cadenhead went to the shelter on Selt Road at lunch Tuesday to retrieve Wellie the cat. He was notified of the cat's pending demise from a shelter rescue group who urged him to take action. But, long before strangers urged him to save Wellie, his two daughters, ages 10 and 11, had pleaded on the cat's behalf. "They wanted me to get the cat when I rescued him," said Cadenhead. "They've been begging for the cat. When I told one of my daughters [Tuesday] about what was going to happen, she told me, 'Daddy, go get that cat.' "A group of guys at the fire department had some time and effort in getting this cat out of that hole," he continued. "We did a big thing and had a positive outcome. This was quickly going from a positive to a negative. It made it worthwhile to go get the cat." For now, the cat will reside with Cadenhead. However, its future residence remains uncertain because the firefighter already has two large hound dogs that "don't like cats." "I might give the cat to my mom -- at least that way my daughters can still see the cat."

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