[gatagato]

A stray cat was stuck on top of a pole for days, but who's the real pussy here?

The feline known as the "McKellar Kitty" is safely on solid ground, but the firefighters, police and hydro workers of Peterborough, Ontario refused to rescue the animal for two days, according to the Toronto Sun.

The cat was first spotted atop the hydro pole, owned by Peterborough Utilities, on Tuesday. When officials failed to rescue the cat, members of the surrounding community weren't the only ones who were purrrturbed. The hashtag #SaveMcKellarKitty (named after the street where the pole was located) popped up on Twitter, as did the fake (we think) Twitter account @PtboPoleCat.

My Kawartha reported that the utility company issued a statement explaining why they would not rescue the cat:

Our past practice is to allow the animal to come down on its own. The animal may be cold and tired, but also frightened. Having an employee attempt to rescue the animal may cause it to panic and could therefore place both the animal and the employee at risk.
Firefighters and police were similarly unwilling to help. Firefighters said it was too hazardous because of the live wires surrounding the cat.

The police said they lacked the necessary training, and besides, "Cats are smart animals. They come down on their own at some point," Const. Keith Calderwood said, according to The Peterborough Examiner.

That cat didn't come down on its own, though. A regular ol' civilian rescued the critter Thursday afternoon. Twitter user Jeannine Taylor indicated that a man volunteered his tree-trimming truck for the rescue effort, and a veterinarian was onsite in case of a mishap.

#SAVEMCKELLARKITTY SAVED! My mom says guy donated tree trimming truck, vet was on site, cat all okay!

— Jeannine Taylor (@wiredwoman) February 20, 2014

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/02/20...for-three-days
http://www.mykawartha.com/news-story...ued-from-pole/

[DannyDrama]

Cats are great at going up, not so much going down.

[Megamel29]

Crazy cat. Does it have a home now?

[gatagato]

Originally Posted by Megamel29 ↗

Crazy cat. Does it have a home now?

Yes, the last two pics were taken after the rescue.
And welcome back, i've been missing you.

[OhJstFkOffAlrdy]

Cats do sometimes panic when someone tries to rescue them from a situation in which they're already frightened. My cat did it to me one time when he and I were sitting on the patio and my stepsister's dumb-ass dog saw him and started trying to get to him.

The dog wasn't foaming at the mouth or growling or anything -- just being a stupid dog. But my cat was definitely frightened. So what happens when I pick him up from the patio railing where he cornered himself and try to put him inside using the door that's 6 fucking inches away from him? He freaks out, digs his teeth and claws into my hand, breaks out of my grip, and bolts.

Of course the fucking dog chased him and caught him, but I was able to break them up before any damage was done (besides the dog getting a faceful of claws, of course). So basically, odds were 50-50 that if the firefighters had tried to rescuse this cat, it would have freaked and wound up falling anyway. Knowing that, it's hard to blame them for going with a minimal-risk policy.

[K9Grip]

I've seen quite a few cats rescued and when a firefighter rescues them in their firefighting garb, it's very unlikely they'll get injured.

Normally the bucket is sent up to the same height as the cat and they slowly proceed closer, with nets all around. That way, if the cat jumps, it goes into a net where it's less likely to be injured.

I think it's sick that they left this cat up there for 2 days like that. After just a few hours it was probably so exhausted that getting it down wouldn't have harmed anyone.


Poor kitty, I'm glad he's safe and warm now.

[Oswald2001]

And, of course, all the whiners put up their own money to fund endless numbers of cat rescues?

No?

[invertigo]

Originally Posted by Oswald2001 ↗

And, of course, all the whiners put up their own money to fund endless numbers of cat rescues?

No?

Actually yes. I've been donating (mostly) time and money to a huge, outdoor no-kill cat sanctuary for 5 years. It's privately owned, and not once has the couple who owns it turned their back on an abandoned cat. So many people have dumped strays there, the food alone is at $300 a week. When donations don't meet the quota, they pay out of pocket.

I should take a video one of these days. The grounds are a cat utopia, but the little guys get so starved for attention, swarms of them will skip the food for affection instead

[K9Grip]

Originally Posted by Oswald2001 ↗

And, of course, all the whiners put up their own money to fund endless numbers of cat rescues?

No?

I give money, but I also give a lot of my time. I 'quit' doing rescue about 3 years ago, but the only thing that slowed was the number of animals I take in at one time. I only foster one or two right now, sometimes it seems quiet around here, but I also have 3 dogs and 3 cats of my own.

[K9Grip]

Originally Posted by invertigo ↗

Actually yes. I've been donating (mostly) time and money to a huge, outdoor no-kill cat sanctuary for 5 years. It's privately own, and not once has the couple who owns it turned their back on an abandoned cat. So many people have dumped strays there, the food alone is at $300 a week. When donations don't meet the quota, they pay out of pocket.

I should take a video one of these days. The grounds are a cat utopia, but the little guys get so starved for attention, swarms of them will skip the food for affection instead

Thank you!!
Most people don't realize that even giving $5 or $10 a month can make a huge difference. If you can't foster, volunteer. If you can't volunteer, donate. If you can't donate, educate.