Catspaw (as opposed to Cat's Maw---Ised to think a pap test was to figure out who the father was)

As I mentioned here once somewhere else, on the Misssissippi River, barges ("We don't need no stinkin' barges!!") were often filled with live pigeons. When the tow (term for several barges pushed by a towboat) went aground, a guy would crack his bullwhip & get the birds to flyin'--- that lightened the load enough to get 'em floatin' on their way. These were famous from Lake Itasca in Minnesota all the way to the dead zone below New Orleans as PIGEON TOWS.Sometimes hammers were transported that way too---hammer tows. Even tic-tac candy...

My 500 pound uncle once dropped a safe he was moving & broke his foot. We had to call a toe truck to get him to the hospital!

Art