Escaped Cats Cause Chaos For Straphangers And Drivers In Manhattan

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- Two escaped cats caused chaos in Manhattan, both underground and over water.

As CBS2's Dave Carlin reported, the tricky rescue operations stalled straphangers and drivers.

The first cat got loose on subway train tracks at the Canal Street station, the second was perilously perched on the Manhattan Bridge.

In both cases commuters were left stuck.

"The conductor sounded very apologetic actually and frustrated and said it's going to take a while," Mayer Fertig said.

Fertig was on one of the 80 trains delayed for more than half an hour during Wednesday's evening rush. While he and other straphangers waited, NYPD officers Brian Kenny and Gus Vargas went down onto the tracks.

A terrified male cat was cowering in a rectangular nook in the wall. Kenny grabbed him, the tail just inches from the third rail.

"Reached for both of my shoulders like a baby; he almost hugged me," Kenny said.

Kenny did not suffer a single scratch, and the cat was reunited with his very relieved owner on the platform.

CBS2 visited the scaredy cat and his owner, Mila Rusafova, who said she was embarrassed and regretted having George on a leash instead of in a cat carrier. She was grateful the train operator stopped in time.

"I'm glad he was patient. He waited for everyone else to show up," she said.

Another potential cat-tastrophe was avoided on the Manhattan Bridge.

A cat was spotted Wednesday, high up on the span.

On Friday, after several lanes of the bridge were closed, officers and bridge workers made the rescue and handed the stray over to the city's Animal Care and Control.

"Someone should adopt the cat. I'll adopt the cat. Yeah, I'll adopt the cat," Fernando Alvarez said.

"Please adopt" was the message from city officials who said any cat out and about needs to be in a carrier and kept out of trouble.