Kitty freed from sticky black goo

It took mayonnaise, dishwashing detergent and nearly three hours to remove 2 pounds of asphalt.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 15, 2002

TARPON SPRINGS -- Jon Spradlin was out doing his morning chores Monday at Suncoast Paving Inc. when he heard faint cries coming from the direction of a liquid asphalt holding tank.

[Times photo: Douglas R. Clifford] A 9-month-old kitten is fed Monday at the Humane Society of North Pinellas after being rescued from a pool of liquid asphalt under a tank at Suncoast Paving.

Spradlin, superintendent of the plant at 800 Anclote Road, looked around the area but didn't see anything. Bending down, he looked underneath the 14,000-gallon tank.

There, lodged in the bubble-gum-like asphalt that had pooled underneath, was a tiny black kitten. Except for its head, the cat was submerged and was struggling to get free of the black goo.

Trying to reach under the tank, Spradlin squeezed his arm through the 8-inch gap between the cylinder and the ground. Using a chisel, he carefully chipped through the asphalt, trying to steer clear of the kitten's tail and paws. The task proved more difficult than he had originally thought, he said, because the asphalt had hardened around the 9-month-old animal's body.

"The asphalt was really sticky, and it just couldn't get its body out of it," he said. "It was just a one-in-a-million chance thing."

Finally, he pried the kitten and the asphalt surrounding it out from under the tank. He called the Humane Society of North Pinellas, which picked up the animal.

After two jars of mayonnaise, one container of dishwashing detergent and nearly three hours of work, Humane Society workers were able to pry about 2 pounds of asphalt off the kitten's fur.

Suffering secondary burns that singed patches of hair off its gaunt body, the animal is weak and exhausted, said Rick Chaboudy, executive director of the Humane Society.

But he said the kitten is resting comfortably and already has a large appetite.

"That kitten's a real fighter," he said. "He was already eating from a spoon while he was still in the asphalt. He's got a real drive to live."

-- Abbie VanSickle can be reached at (727) 445-4224 or at vansickle@sptimes.com.

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