Calico cat does the dog paddle

Popular lore has it that few things can be angrier than a wet cat—but perhaps wet cats should be given at least as much credit for their resourcefulness and pluck as for their hissiness.

That would seem to be the moral of a shaggy-cat tale from last weekend, when a soaking wet feline showed up on the shores of Governors Island in New York. Many believe the feline swam all the way from New Jersey a mile away. In other words: Never underestimate a cat who wants to get out of Jersey.

Nobody is sure what happened exactly. However, we do know that security guards on Governors Island found the cat looking a bit worse for the wear last weekend near the island's shore.

According to the AP, the cat's "fur was salty, matted, and caked with seaweed." Some of the workers on the island think the cat was swept up in a New Jersey rainstorm, and somehow managed to swim to safety. The cat didn't have a collar.

The story was originally covered by the New York Daily News. Workers on the island have apparently taken quite a shine to the mysterious cat. Elizabeth Rapuano, the park's director of marketing and communications, remarked that staff members have taken to feeding the cat cans of tuna. And while the brave calico appears to be in fine shape, she will be taken to a vet just to be sure.

A message on the island's website reads that "any information that leads her back to her family is appreciated." In the meantime, the staff of Governors Island is taking suggestions for a name for the cat. May we suggest Meowchal Phelps?

(Photo courtesy of govislandblog.com)