J~ writes:

I am suprised the cat could not get out, I have heard and see cats get
out of water before, not great swimmers but they can when needed.

Even if the cat can swim, if there's nothing to climb out of the water
onto, they're sunk. :-P I've heard of people complaining about
*frogs* drowning in their swimming pools for that reason -- they can't
climb ladders or hop out of the water up the vertical side of the pool.
How about a ramp so the critters can climb out easily?

-Sandra