Charter boat captain rescues soggy cat thrown from bridge

July 31 (UPI) -- A Florida charter boat captain fished a cat out of the water after it was apparently thrown off a bridge by an unknown person.

Jordan Smith, 35, captain of the Profishonal boat with Let's Fish Destin Charter, said he was passing Coast Guard Station Destin on Thursday afternoon while en route to pick up a group for a fishing trip when he spotted something on the Marler Bridge.

"I just saw something out of the corner of my eye. I saw some movement. Then I heard splat! Splat! I thought someone threw some trash down," Smith told the Northwest Florida Daily News.

He said the animal in the water initially appeared to be an otter, but he soon realized it was a cat.

"When I took it out of the net, it grabbed a hold of my arm. I held the cat all the way into the HarborWalk. It was pretty intense," Smith said.

Smith posted a photo of himself with the soaked and shell-shocked feline on Facebook.

He said the cat appeared to have been thrown off the bridge.

"I've seen some pretty crazy stuff out there, but never had seen a living animal get thrown off the bridge," Smith said.

The captain said he is reporting the incident to law enforcement.

Smith said HarborWalk employee Nicole Manard took the cat to the veterinarian for him while he went out on his charter. He said he plans to keep the cat and give it an appropriate name: "I'm thinking, Miracle."