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MN angler catches cat while fishing
A cat swam to a Minnesota fisherman, and now they're best friends. What started as a routine fishing trip turned into something special for a Minnesota angler. Erik Koffski heard meowing before heading out on his boat, which led to him finding a cat. The cat joined him while fishing — and now Koffski and the cat have a new friendship. Photojournalist Scott Wise caught up with the pair.
MAPLE LAKE, Minn. (FOX 9) - What started as a routine fishing trip turned into something special for one Minnesota angler after catching an unexpected guest.
The fishing trip
While out on the water before a fishing tournament, Erik Koffski explained he heard meowing early Saturday morning just offshore Lake Madison, near Mankato. At first, he didn’t think much of it, perhaps just somebody who hadn’t let their cat inside, but soon, he found the source of the sound.
"He swam from shore and just came straight towards me," said Koffski.
The fisherman took the cat onto his paddleboard and cleaned and dried it. Koffski explained the cat wouldn't leave his side for the rest of the day.
"He kind of just stuck with me all day and didn’t want to get off the board," Koffski said.
Throughout that day, Koffski said the cat was crawling on him, tried to take a nap on his shoulder, and even helped with the fishing. But once it was time to go, the cat didn’t seem to want to leave.
"He wouldn’t be more than a foot away from me the whole time I was loading up my stuff, so I asked him if he wanted to get into the jeep, and he hopped right in," Koffski said.
Heading home
Before arriving at his Maple Lake home, Amy Koffski, Erik's wife, explained her son had already picked out the perfect name for their pet — Fisher.
"He’s a very sweet boy. Very loving, very affectionate," Amy Koffski explained of Fisher.
Now Fisher is settling into his forever home.
"There was bigger things at play, and I think that he was meant to find Erik… He was meant to come here," said Amy Koffski. "We didn’t want a cat, but we want him. He’s found his place here. He’s ours."