Pregnant cat apparently thrown from bridge rescued by Florida boat captain

A black cat is recovering after it appeared to have been thrown off a bridge and was rescued by a boat captain in Florida.

Jordan Smith owns Let’s Fish Destin Charters. He was out on the water in Florida’s Destin harbour Thursday when something airborne caught his eye.

Initially, Smith said he thought someone tossed a bag of garbage over a bridge and into the water.

“It hit rather hard, you know, something that high it made a pretty awful splat,” Smith told NBC affiliate WJHG.

Smith noticed it moving in the water so he manoeuvred himself over to get a closer look and realized it was a cat.

“I saw these little orange eyes looking at me and I reached down with my dip net and got it,” he said. “I picked it up and it latched on and didn’t want to let go. [Her] little heart was beating really fast.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I saw these little orange eyes looking at me and I reached down with my dip net and got it," he said. "I picked it up and it latched on and didn't want to let go. [Her] little heart was beating really fast."

Smith believes the cat, which he has since named Miracle, was thrown off the bridge intentionally.

He told Huffpost that the cat was “spinning” in the air, suggesting that it was thrown off with force.

According to Smith, a vet discovered that Miracle was pregnant but miscarried after the incident.

Smith says he plans on adopting Miracle after the vet releases her from care. The next challenge is making sure his new furry friend gets along with his dog.

“I’ve got a dog at my house. She’s my princess. So as long as my dog’s OK with her then, we’re going to keep her around,” he said.