Cat rescued from New York barge

NEW YORK, July 5 (UPI) -- A team of rescuers said their 5-hour search for a cat spotted stranded on a New York barge ended with the successful retrieval of the feline.

Animal rights activist Christine Berk said the cat, first spotted on the East River barge by Choltilde Testa while she was on a bike ride, received no help when Testa and boyfriend Robert Walker contacted police and firefighters, the New York Daily News reported Monday.

Testa and Walker sought help online and made contact with Berk and Pennsylvania animal rescue farm owner Joseph Newman.

The group met up with an Animal Care and Control officer and boarded the barge Sunday under the Manhattan side of the Williamsburg Bridge. Berk said it took them about 5 hours to corner the oil-stained feline.

"We really risked our lives for this cat," Berk said. "It was pretty rad."

Testa said she was hoping to adopt the cat, which was named Skipper by the rescuers.