Nearly Drowned Kitten Is Saved by Italian Coast Guard

Learning how to save a life is a requirement for the United States Coast Guard Academy. There is even a college called Emergency University which meets the guidelines of the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross where cadets learn CPR, first aid training, and can receive their certification to practice on their fellow humans.

Who knew that similar techniques could be applied to kittens? Guardia Costiera, the Coast Guard in Marsala, Italy, proved that cats really do have nine lives when it was put to the test to revive a seemingly lifeless kitten floating in the ocean.

Mashable reports when it was discovered by some children playing on the beach, one of the coast guard members dove in and brought the cat on board to try and resuscitate it.

You can see and hear, albeit in Italian, as a quick-thinking coast guard tenderly breathes life into the emaciated feline. Gently massaging its heart and checking its pulse, at one point he turns the kitten upside down hanging there like a rag doll. Then suddenly it tilts up its head and takes a tiny breath. While its little ears flicker with life, the guard is exclaiming, “respire, respire!” (translated: “breathe, breathe!”) This viral video is a tearjerker, already amassing 2K shares on the Guardia Costiera YouTube page.

After visiting the vet, “Charlie” the kitten found a new home with the Maritime Circondariale Marsala who adopted him.

Just in case you were interested, if your pet is ever in distress from choking on a bone or furball, there is animal CPR certification from PetTech dedicated to CPR, First Aid & Care for dogs and cats. In the meantime, here are two helpful safety tips from the Red Cross:

1. Perform 100 to 200 chest compressions per minute of one-third to one-half of the chest width with the animal lying on its side.
2. Ventilate intubated dogs and cats at a rate of 10 breaths per minute.