CATastrophe Averted

Neighbours cooperate to rescue stranded kitten

Tiny cat in a tall tree.

A three-day odyssey for a local feline ended on a happy note after the cooperation of neighbours helped him find his way out of trouble last week.

Long-time resident Fiona Fourie reports that her neighbours spotted a small cat treed near their home recently, when their dogs alerted them to his presence around 5 a.m. Even after the dogs were safely stowed, there was no persuading the cat from his nest, some 60 feet above the ground.

Over the next two days, help was sought from the RCMP via their non-emergency line, two local Fire Rescue squads and the SPCA, but no one was free to come lend a hand over the weekend.

Fourie and her neighbours turned to local arborists, and one indeed offered to help, but didn't have his gear at hand, so she decided to try Lions Bay Fire Rescue again.

En route to asking for help, Fourie drove by her neighbour Sean Michaels, who works as an arborist in North Vancouver, and said he would be able to help.

And so it was that 50 hours after the initial sighting, Michaels geared up and scaled the tree with a duffel bag, in which the cat received a ride down to safety.

After a welcome snack, the aptly-named Phoenix was reunited with his family.

Sean Michaels and his quarry mid-air, and Phoenix safely on the ground again.

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