Cat Rescuers In Montana Receive Gene Fields Human Award

There is hope for the next generation if there are enough good men like these two in Missoula.

Area Cat Rescuers To Receive Award

Genoa, WIA’s Maxon McCarter and Joey Arbour walked over the California Street Bridge in Missoula, MT, at dusk in late December 2005, they certainly weren’t expecting to help rescue a cat from the ice-covered Clark Fork River. But when they heard plaintive cat cries, they took action immediately.

The young men, who both are cat lovers, peered over the bridge railings searching for many long minutes until they spotted a cat carrier resting on slushy ice that was emitting the loud cries.

McCarter then climbed down to the river bank, approached the carrier, and put one foot on the ice in an attempt to rescue the wet, desperate cat, but the ice was slushy on top and felt unsafe. He called up to Arbour, who was standing on the pedestrian bridge, and urged him to call for help. Using his cell phone, Arbour phoned a friend to get an emergency number, and the friend recommended calling 9-1-1. That rescue call was promptly made and help was soon on the way.

The result was the cat was saved and the two rescuers have received the Sunbear Squad’s Gene Fields Humane Award. Congratulations to two caring young men!

For their prompt attempts to rescue the cat and then to call the authorities for assistance, Maxon McCarter and Joey Arbour have received the Gene Fields Humane Award from Sunbear Squad Inc., a humane organization based in Wisconsin. The Missoula, MT, fire, and 911 organizations all had involvement in the rescue of Lucky.

The Gene Fields Humane Award is given to selected individuals who take extraordinary action to save an animal in distress. Gene Fields (in the photo) is the outstanding Humane Officer who tracked down Sunbear’s killer.