THEY SAY curiosity kills the cat, but one kitty in Carlow had a lucky escape when his curious nature led him to become stuck up an enormous tree for almost a week.
The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPC), along with the Carlow branch and local volunteers, worked tirelessly over the weekend to try and save a cat who had somehow climbed close to the top of a 50 foot tall tree.
ISPCA.ieThe ISPCA said volunteers had tried everything to coax the big ginger cat down, saying "it was heart-breaking to hear the cat calling out in such a distressed state", but the terrified moggy simply couldn't move.
Even the local Tullow Fire Brigade, complete with the skills, experience and enormous ladder used to conduct similar rescues in the past, couldn't reach the distressed cat, and things were beginning to look bleak.
That is, until the teams from Lucas Tree Services and Codd Mushrooms arrived with a massive teleporter, and after a bit of coaxing and manouvering, they were able to pick up the cat and bring him safely to the ground, ending the six-day-long standoff.
Fiona Conlon, ISPCA Inspector, spoke of her relief that the team effort had managed to save the cat from the terrible but inevitable "slow lingering death" had he remained stuck.
“We often see cats go up and down trees with no problems," she said, "but in reality cats are not really equipped to come down from trees because of their curving claws and body mass.
"Furthermore, if they climb too high the cat can go into shock from fright which keeps them from even trying to get down."
Ms Conlon offered her gratitude to everyone who had helped save the beloved family pet, saying "it was a great team effort and thankfully the cat was removed to safety.”
Thankfully, the lucky fluffy cat still has eight lives left.
Well done to everyone involved!
