For eight nights, residents of a Pasadena, California, neighborhood heard a cat crying for help from the top of a tree. They tried putting out food, making a ramp, putting up a ladder, and calling every city agency that they could think of, but the cat was still stuck—until they called PETA’s emergency helpline on April 2. A new PETA video released on the 11th of April shows the successful rescue on April 3, when professional tree climber Miles Burkart from Redondo Beach scaled the tree, coaxed the cat into his arms, and took her down to safety—and everyone on the block celebrated.
“Every single person in this Pasadena neighborhood wanted a happy ending for this cat, and they didn’t stop trying to help her until she was safe on the ground,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange, a Pasadena native who assisted with the rescue. “PETA hopes this neighborhood’s kindness will inspire people everywhere to keep their own cats indoors and do whatever it takes to help other animals in need.”
The rescued cat now lives safely indoors, which PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—points out is the safest place for all cats. Not only do cats who are allowed to roam outdoors often get stranded in trees, they’re also vulnerable to predators, suffering from hunger and dehydration, and often being harmed by people who considered them a nuisance. They’re also at risk of ingesting poisons and pesticides, contracting diseases from other animals, getting lost or hit by cars, and much more.
That was a very exciting video. I have had to climb up after mine but not very far up. They don’t normally roam outside alone.
Luckily we’ve not had to climb after them “yet”
J adopted a cat that was stuck in a tree for 3 days* in January 2013 – one day was a near blizzard), The neighbor who heard her crying while she was walking her dog called everyone she could think of – animal control, the SPCA, the fire department – no one would help, Finally a tree trimmer showe up and got her own.She lost half of one ear to frost bite, but was otherwise ok.. Good for this whole neighborhood !
C’s daughter had that happen to their cat in Michigan and made the news, there.
good to know about PETA’s rescue services.
Great how everyone wanted to help and a purrfectly happy ending.x????
Now that is a community working together. Well done!
Yes, please keep cats indoors–in the case of dogs, please keep them supervised when outside in a fenced yard. Here in the U.S., people will scout out/raid neighbourhoods for loose/outdoor pets (even dogs kept in a fenced-in/walled-in area during the day while the owner is at work) and use the animal as a bait animal for dog-fighting or sell them to laboratories.
Great to see everyone come together to help a cat.
Yes. This was such a heart warming story