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Kitten Was Found Inside a Giant Excavator. Now She Has a Job With the Crew
A construction supervisor in Ohio expected a routine equipment check when he heard a strange sound coming from inside a massive excavator. The noise was faint and high-pitched, and it seemed to be coming from somewhere deep inside the machine. Then he discovered the source: a tiny orange kitten with blue eyes, trapped inside a Komatsu excavator at a dam removal site.
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The kitten was estimated to be only about two weeks old. Nobody knew how she had gotten inside the machinery, how long she had been there, or where her mother might be. The crew searched the surrounding area but found no sign of another cat. What followed was an unusual rescue operation that ended with the kitten getting a new home, a tiny construction uniform and an unexpected future working alongside the people who saved her.
The Strange Sound Came From Inside The Machine
Chase Guello, an operating supervisor with RiverReach Construction, was walking around the company’s equipment on July 14 at a dam removal site in Leavittsburg, Ohio. He was carrying out the normal pre-checks before work began when he heard something unusual coming from a Komatsu PC290LC long reach excavator. On a construction site, strange sounds coming from heavy machinery usually mean there is a mechanical problem that needs attention before the equipment can be used.
Guello climbed onto the excavator and began trying to locate the noise. It soon became clear that the sound was coming from somewhere inside the machine rather than from an obvious mechanical component. What initially sounded like a possible equipment fault turned out to be something considerably smaller and much more vulnerable.
The source was an orange kitten hiding inside the excavator’s turret. She was trapped deep enough inside the machine that simply reaching down and grabbing her was impossible. The crew was also facing a serious practical problem because the excavator was scheduled to be used at the construction site.
Reaching the kitten required the workers to get underneath the machine and remove a large steel skid plate. The panels can weigh around 100 pounds, making the rescue considerably more complicated than simply opening a compartment. Nobody knew how long the kitten had been inside, so getting her out before the machinery was put into operation became the priority.
The Rescue Took More Than A Quick Reach
The crew could not reach the kitten from above, so Guello moved underneath the excavator and began working on the skid plates. The heavy steel panel had to be loosened carefully, with workers trying to create enough space to reach the trapped animal without putting her in greater danger.
Guello recorded the rescue as it happened. In the footage, he explained the bizarre situation to the camera, saying, “Normally, it’s a piece of equipment. Right now, it’s this little guy. There’s a cat stuck.” At that point, the crew had not yet established that the kitten was female.
The skid plate eventually came free, and the tiny kitten came down with it before landing safely on the dirt. Her size made the situation even more striking. She was small enough to fit inside a work glove, while the machinery surrounding her weighed many tons.
Once she was out, the construction crew moved her into the office trailer for the rest of the day. The immediate danger had passed, but the workers still had no idea whether she had been separated from a mother nearby or had somehow wandered into the excavator on her own.
Nobody Could Find The Kitten’s Mother
The crew searched the construction site for signs of another cat. They looked for a mother, possible littermates or any indication that the kitten belonged to a nearby litter. Nothing was found that day, and further searches did not produce an answer either.
That left the workers with a newborn kitten who could not survive independently. At roughly two weeks old, she was far too young to feed herself and needed specialized care that could not realistically be provided around heavy machinery and an active dam removal project.
The mystery of how she entered the excavator remains unsolved. Nobody could determine whether she had crawled into the machinery seeking shelter, been carried there somehow or simply found her way inside before becoming trapped.
RiverReach Construction is based in Barberton and works on projects including stream restoration, dam removal, dredging and wetland work across Ohio. Guello works alongside his brother Clay, but neither expected their construction routine to suddenly involve caring for a tiny abandoned kitten.
The Kitten Suddenly Had Thousands Of Fans
The rescue footage was posted online and quickly spread far beyond the construction site. The video eventually attracted around 5.8 million views, turning a routine equipment inspection into a widely shared animal rescue story.
People began following updates about the kitten and suggesting names for her. One popular suggestion was Komatsu, after the excavator that had trapped her. The crew eventually shortened the idea to Sue, giving the tiny rescue a name that stuck.
Guello also found himself unexpectedly at the center of attention after the video spread. Despite the attention surrounding the rescue, he played down the idea that he had suddenly become famous. “I’m far from a celebrity,” he wrote. “Just happened to rescue a little kitty on a construction site, is all.”
The attention also brought plenty of interest in what would happen to Sue next. She could not simply remain at an active construction site while she was still so young, meaning the crew needed to find somewhere safe where she could receive the care required to grow stronger.
Sue Spent Two Weeks Getting Stronger
Sue was placed with an experienced foster carer through One of a Kind Pet Rescue in Akron. A kitten of her age requires bottle feeding and frequent attention, making a foster environment far more suitable than an active construction site.
The rescue organization said the foster carer had extensive experience raising kittens. That gave Sue the chance to gain weight and develop away from the noise, machinery and hazards of the dam removal project where she had been discovered.
Sue remained in foster care for about two weeks. During that time, she continued growing and received veterinary attention, eventually receiving a clean bill of health.
Then came the part that made the story even more unusual. Rather than disappearing into an unrelated home after her recovery, Sue returned to the people who had found her trapped inside the excavator.
Her New Construction Uniform Is Tiny
Komatsu North America had also seen what happened to the kitten associated with one of its excavators. The company sent Sue a custom-sized outfit that was considerably more practical-looking than anything most kittens are ever likely to wear.
Her new gear included a high-visibility reflective vest and a miniature hard hat. The hard hat was specially modified with two openings for her ears, giving Sue the unmistakable appearance of a tiny construction worker.
The first outfit would not last forever, however. Sue was still growing, so larger replacements were also provided for when she inevitably outgrew the original gear.
Columbus Equipment Company joined in with gifts of its own. When RiverReach later shared Sue wearing her miniature safety equipment, the company joked that she was ready for the job site, although her actual future would be somewhat less hazardous.
Sue Has A Farm And A Future Job
Sue did not end up living with Guello. Instead, she was adopted by Jared, the company’s shop mechanic, who lives on a farm with his family and has experience caring for animals.
The arrangement gives Sue a permanent home while also keeping her connected to the construction crew that rescued her. She now has space to grow up away from the machinery that nearly became the end of her story.
There is even a plan for her future role. Once Sue is old enough, she is expected to travel with Jared to the Barberton yard and become the resident shop cat.
That means the kitten who was once discovered hidden inside a massive excavator could eventually spend her days around the same type of machinery that made her famous. The difference is that this time, she will be there by choice and with plenty of people watching out for her.
The Excavator Kitten Even Has A Bobblehead
Sue’s unusual story has continued to generate attention well beyond the construction yard. She now has her own limited-edition bobblehead, featuring the tiny cat wearing her signature yellow vest and hard hat.
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee is offering individually numbered Sue bobbleheads for $30 plus shipping. The figures are expected to ship in February 2027.
There is also a charitable connection behind the collectible. Ten percent of each sale will go to One of a Kind Pet Rescue, the Akron organization that helped care for Sue when she was too young to live independently.
For a kitten whose entire story began with a faint noise coming from inside a construction machine, the list of unexpected developments is getting remarkably long:
- A rescue: Workers removed a roughly 100-pound steel plate to free her.
- A foster home: She spent about two weeks receiving specialized care.
- A family: Jared and his family adopted her.
- A new uniform: She received a miniature vest and ear-friendly hard hat.
- A future job: She is expected to become the RiverReach yard’s resident shop cat.
- A collectible: She now has a limited-edition bobblehead supporting the rescue organization.
A Tiny Rescue Turned Into An Unlikely Career
Sue’s story started with a construction worker hearing a sound that could easily have been mistaken for an equipment problem. Instead of starting the excavator and moving on with the day’s work, Guello investigated until the source was found.
That decision changed everything for a kitten that was far too young to survive alone. She went from being trapped beneath heavy machinery to being cared for by a foster family, adopted by someone from the same company and given a permanent place at the construction yard.
Now Sue has something most construction workers never receive: a custom hard hat, a safety vest and a job waiting for her. For a kitten that once had to be pulled out from inside an excavator, becoming the resident shop cat is one seriously unexpected promotion.