When your pet cat gets stuck in a tree, who do you call?
That was the dilemma Parksville residents Lorrie and Don Barbeau faced when their family cat, Boots, was stuck high up a tree near their home for five full days.
For some reason, the cat just refused to come down, said Don.
"The cat has never done that before. We've had the cat for five years."
So, who did they call?
Barbeau said they first tried the fire department, which often would be the first thought. However, they didn't get the help they need because it was not an emergency situation.
"Back in my day when I was growing up, they rescued cats," Don said. "Everything's changed. (But) I get it; it's not an emergency."
Parksville Fire Rescue chief Marc Norris explained, like many other fire departments, they don't do cat rescues anymore.
"We usually suggest an arborist be called because, dependent on the location of the tree, we often canB次元官网网址檛 get close enough to use an aerial truck," said Norris. "Cats will typically come down as soon as they get hungry enough."
Boots, however, remained in the tree for so long with no signs of the feline coming down from its lofty perch, 25 metres up. It was in so much distress it was continuously crying, said Lorrie.
They believed Boots was most probably chased and scared by something, possibly a raccoon, which are prevalent in their neighbourhood. They're not discounting a cougar or a bear as well.
Lorrie said the situation became dire as they had called and emailed a wide variety of potential rescuers and were unable to find assistance. Many area tree service businesses do not do cat rescues anymore due to the felines being unpredictable and difficult.
The Barbeaus also tried every trick and tip they received from friends and others, including putting white sheets on the ground under the tree to help the kitty with her depth perception, offering food and calling her repeatedly. They also tried to get her to chase a laser pointer in the hopes of following it down but to no avail.
The situation left the family concerned. They felt Boots, after being up the tree for five days, would not survive unless it was rescued quickly. The cat, Don said, had not had any food or water for five days straight, and also had to endure the freezing temperatures.
"The cat would have been dead the next day, guaranteed, because it couldn't walk, it had some problems," Don said.
The Barbeaus got their spirits lifted when they found crane operators from Parallel Crane & Rigging from Qualicum Beach and from IronHorse Crane Ltd., who came out to assess the situation and offered to help. However, they were put on standby, as Laurie's best friend in Courtenay found Ed Hazlett of The Orange Tree Service from out of the Comox Valley, who is a skilled tree climber and has done cat rescues before. He came out on Sunday morning, Feb. 2.
Hazlett, upon sizing up the situation, got his gear on and then scaled the tree. While he was doing that, Laurie said, they were very concerned because Boots, frozen and weak, was losing her footing and slipping, struggling to hold herself on the branch where she sat. They were also worried about the width of the tree.
"The tree is very skinny and as he gets closer to the top, it gets even skinnier," said Lorrie. "The whole tree is swaying back and forth and itB次元官网网址檚 terrifying to watch, because we are afraid the cat will lose her grip and fall."
Hazlett said he had to approach the cat gently so she wouldn't panic.
"I am a big old climber and was shaking the tree but the cat couldn't go any higher," Hazlett said. "And because it has been up there for so long, it was pretty weak. So I went up there and give it a little pet and get comfortable with it. Then I just grabbed it and put in my big bag, zipped it and then came down. It was pretty straightforward."
Lorrie said Hazlett made them feel so assured that all was good when he quipped B次元官网网址渨hereB次元官网网址檇 the expression 'catB次元官网网址檚 in the bagB次元官网网址� come from?'"
"It made us all laugh and take a sigh of relief," said Lorrie.
The cat was in poor shape, unable to walk due to the cold.
But since being rescued, Boots is happy to be back home and faring better.
"She is able to walk and we give her little bits of soft cat food every few hours along with a syringe of water to get her to drink," said Lorrie. "She is so happy and just purrs through it all. She is still very tired but consistently improving."
The Barbeaus expressed sincere thanks to everyone that helped through the ordeal .
