Kitten rescued from Komatsu machine joins construction crew that saved her

A tiny kitten found trapped in the bowels of heavy machinery by construction workers in Ohio is going viral after becoming the newest member of their crew.

The team at River Reach Construction in Barberton, a city about 80 kilometres south of Cleveland, discovered the orange kitten inside a Komatsu excavator last month when they heard its strained cries coming from the machine, so they launched a rescue mission and set the kitten free by removing the excavator’s bottom skid plate.

Footage of the rescue shows operating supervisor Chase Guello forcing the jammed metal element open, causing the kitten to fall out of the machine in dramatic fashion.

The video soon caught the attention of cat lovers online, racking up 5.8 million views and thousands of comments, including Komatsu, which encouraged the Ohio company to get in touch.

In a follow up post on River Reach Construction’s Instagram, Guello said the kitten — which they named Sue, after the machine she was found in — was taken to a pet rescue centre after an unsuccessful attempt to locate her mother, where she received the support she needed until she was big enough to rejoin her rescuers.

Sue spent several weeks in foster care before becoming an official “shop cat,” Guello said.

“We think Sue is ready for the job site!” the company wrote in an update earlier this month, alongside a carousel of pictures of Sue in her very own high-vis jacket and construction hat provided by Komatsu.

When Sue isn’t clocking in on site, she’s home with River Reach’s shop mechanic, Jared, who Guello said lives on a farm and has extensive experience raising animals.

The company has shared several pictures and videos documenting Sue’s progress from rescue kitten to full-time construction crew member; one image shows her sitting beside a set of toy Komatsu excavators, and another video shows Sue playfully bouncing around on a couch and making friends with a spinner meant for the game Twister.

More on Trending More videos 4 dead after small plane crash in water next to remote Alaska coastal town U.S. couple confront surrogate in escalating court battle over sick newborn Suspect in Chucky-style mask accused of terrorizing people arrested Father of navy sailor on USS Abraham Lincoln released from ICE custody Last tenant out of Luugat SRO, BC Housing still not allowing media inside Dolly Parton’s legacy beyond music Global News at 6 Saskatoon: Aug. 26 Dolly Parton, ‘Queen of Country,’ dies at 80

In an update earlier this month, Guello said Sue was very happy and was spending time playing with Jared’s kids in a “nice friendly environment.”

Sue also received gifts from Columbus Equipment Company, which thanked the team at River Reach Construction for showing “compassion” in the heavy equipment world.

“We are glad Sue’s story has a happy ending,” the company wrote in a note Guello read aloud.

It’s been a big week in cat news. On Monday, a kitten from Wisconsin broke the Guinness World Record for the most toes on a cat after it was born with 29 appendages.