When the engine of their tuna vessel exploded last week, owners Mark and Cynthia Schneider had no choice but to abandon ship and leave behind their two cats, a 1-year-old tabby named Jasper and a 4-year-old calico named Topaz.

After being rescued by a nearby boat, they were stunned when they looked out at their sinking boat and saw Jasper on the bow. Topaz was in the ocean and eventually swam through the debris to safety on the rescue boat. 

Jasper remained stranded at sea on the bow. As the boat sank deeper into the ocean, he was forced to jump in and swim toward his owners about 100 yards away. Like Topaz, Jasper survived the ordeal. The next time someone says that cats can’t swim, let them know what happened with Jasper and Topaz.

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