High drama as local heroes step in to rescue bungling cat stuck up a tree - for over a week

The adventurous cat bit off more than it could chew when it ascended the tree in the grounds of High Greave Junior School in East Herringthorpe – and made his situation even more precarious by climbing even higher when rescuers arrived!

The Fire Brigade and RSPCA were called but were unable to help, and the mischievous moggy even scuppered the goodwill efforts of some passing council workmen.

But it was left to local tree surgeon Conor Duggan and colleague Pete Thomasson to bring the curtain down on the drama.

The intrepid pair were called in by Cllr Jodie Ryalls who had been trying to get help for the black and white cat for a week to no avail.

She told the Advertiser: “A local cat was stuck in a tree for eight days on the premises of High Greave Junior School.

“This cat was getting weaker so I popped a message on my Facebook site and asked if anyone could help.”

Fire Brigade rules prevented firefighters coming out to help and the RSPCA was unable to assist, said Jodie.

Police officers visiting the school on a separate matter tried to intervene but could not help either.

So she put the message online and Conor, who has helped Jodie before, said he would step in.

Jodie said: “They took about an hour-and-a-half before they got the cat down.

“Conor has been absolutely amazing.

“I have never seen a man climb a tree as fast as Pete did – he was like Spiderman.”

The cat, who is called Boyboy, got stuck on Tuesday, March 3 and was rescued on Wednesday, March 11.

Jodie said: “The school got concerned and got in touch with the owner but the cat was having none of it.”

Conor, owner of IM Green Care of Thrybergh, said he and Mr Thomasson did ‘rock-paper-scissors’ to decide who would climb the tree to get the cat, and Mr Thomasson lost and had to do the gruelling rescue.

He said: “Jodie normally calls me when there is anything a bit tricky or if she needs help.

“She called me and said the cat had been in the tree for five to six days at that point – she said they had tried everything.

“I said I would come and climb the tree.

“When we got to the cat it was quite low down so we thought it was going to be an easy one but it climbed to the highest point.

“We managed to climb it and got it down successfully.

“It was a bit thin.

“It was clawing and clinging onto the tree and trying to get tangled into the tree.

“It was screaming.”

Conor said that the rescuer had to wear thick clothes and gloves as Boyboy was somewhat reluctant to be liberated from the cat-astrophe.

Animal lover Conor didn’t charge for the work and said: “You just do it to see the happiness of the person the cat is returned to.

“The cat was grateful – when it got home – and was fed two tins of tuna and milk.”

The owner of the wanderlust-filled cat, who wishes to remain anonymous, said a big thank you to Conor and Pete.

The moggy’s response is unknown.