THE RSPCA were called in to rescue a cat that was trapped in a 10-meter tree in a park in Middlesbrough after being scared – and was reunited with its grateful owner.
The pet named T-Chella from the Black Panther movie was walking on a flexible leash in Albert Park with owner Abigail Taylor and partner Sean.
The lead was accidentally dropped and T-Chella was able to break free on Monday.
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The pet, a large Maine Coon cat, started running, but it is believed that he became terrified of the sound of the leash hitting the ground and instinctively climbed a nearby tree.
The concerned owners of T-Chella tried to tempt him with strong smelling food, but he kept climbing up in fear.
Its owners were concerned for its welfare as it was sitting on some thin branches, so they called the RSPCA for help on Tuesday after the cat failed to come down after 24 hours.
The animal rescuer, Inspector Clare Wilson, was dispatched to the scene and was able to see that the frightened pet was sitting on some very thin branches at the top of the tree swaying in the wind.
She was also afraid that he might get caught on a branch on the leash – but because of the height of the tree, she couldn’t help him.
Ms. Wilson called the fire department who were on site for help, but they were unable to safely get their ladders up the tree to rescue T-Chella.
The only other option was to contact a local tree surgeon to see if he would help. Fortunately, the cat’s owners found local John Grundy, who runs Acklam Tree Services, who was there in half an hour.
Ms. Wilson said, “John said he was a cat lover and was only too happy to help – and could get this far with his ladders and then climb the tree with a harness.
“T-Chella was stranded on a branch and John cut off the top of the tree and was able to safely pull the cat into his hands.
“Both T-Chella and its owners were very relieved and happy to be reunited.
“While everyone else was excited to see how England beat Germany, John came out to save this cat – so we’re all very grateful for his help.
“Our usual advice when a cat is stuck in a tree is to leave it for 24 hours and try to seduce it with strong smelling food as this usually works. But in this case T-Chella was too scared and was afraid that his line could get tangled in the branches. ”
Miss Taylor said, “We often keep T-Chella on a leash in the park because he’s such a big cat and he likes to walk our dogs.
“But we accidentally lost his lead and he was gone. He was too scared to come down and I worried that the leash might be hanging from the tree so he couldn’t come down by himself.
“I’m so grateful to the RSPCA for helping save him – and to John, who was probably one of the very few people in the country who missed the game. T-Chella is now back to normal at home and you wouldn’t know that he went through such an ordeal. ”
RSPCA officers are trained to use ladders they carry for such rescues, but in situations where they still cannot reach the animals, they can seek help from the fire department and they often use animal rescue as a vital training aid.
However, sometimes they are unable to carry out such rescues for health and safety reasons, and then we rely on the good nature of the local arborists.
