A MH-60 Jayhawk being flown by personnel from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City during training on April 8, 2025, in Elizabeth City, N.C. (Christine Bills/U.S. Coast Guard)
(Tribune News Service) — A hyper dog and an extremely laid back cat were among the four passengers saved when a boat began sinking 65 miles east of North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
The rescue happened Tuesday, after two people in a 40-catamaran experienced a series of mishaps in the Atlantic, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
“The vessel had a torn jib sail but was able to make progress towards land using their diesel engine,” the USCG reported in a news release.
“However, after they discovered a small hole in the vessel and weather conditions worsened to include up to 18 foot seas, the crew activated their EPIRB (Emergency Positioning Indicator Radio Beacon) to signal to the Coast Guard they needed help.”
An MH-60 helicopter crew from USCG Air Station Elizabeth City traveled to the remote spot and pulled the people and their pets to safety.
Video shared on social media recorded their return to land at Elizabeth City, and the dog was clearly giddy at all the attention.
As for the cat, it had to be carried off the aircraft, limbs drooping, and appeared to be ready for a nap.
The video had been viewed more than 34,000 times on Facebook as of Wednesday and racked up 1,200 reactions and comments. Many of the commenters were tickled by the cat facing a life-and-death situation and coming away bored.
“That kitty is so unbothered. What a great cat!” Chelley Tunez Frazier posted on the USGC’s Facebook page.
“I can’t imagine trying to get my cat on a helicopter!” Jamie Anderson wrote.
“It’s hard enough to get a cat into the car to go to the vet!” Bonnie Petry said.
“That’s the most chill cat I’ve ever seen!” Leigh Ann Middleton wrote.
The USCG base in Elizabeth City is about a 165-mile drive northeast from downtown Raleigh.
©2025 The Charlotte Observer.
Visit charlotteobserver.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.