BOISE, Idaho — Cats climb trees. And sometimes they appear to get stuck. The Idaho Humane Society says they've never heard of a cat dying from being stuck in a tree and they generally can get down on their own. But worried owners sometimes can't wait. That's when they call the Fire Department or sometimes Ryan Saladin from Boise SavATree.
- Cats have been known to stay up in trees multiple days.
- Cats have been known to survive falls of over 100 feet without injury.
- Fire Departments in the valley will sometimes help get a cat down, but only if they have no other issues to tend to.
- Tree trimmers like Ryan Saladin sometimes can help too.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Dog may be mans best friend, but cat’s best friend is a guy named Ryan Saladin. I’m senior reporter Roland Beres and cats have a habit of climbing trees and not coming down. Fire departments are hit and miss. But on occasion, the cat man of Boise will come to the rescue.
Cat man might be the wrong title for Ryan Saladin.
"I’m a dog lover but you know, cats are great too.” said Ryan Saladin with Boise SavATree.
His ambivalence for felines didn’t get in his way when this tree trimmer got the cat call.
"Family cat was stuck up in a tree," recalls Saladin.
So, Ryan geared up and climbed a skinny tree to the rescue. That’s him hanging on for dear life.
"And then that tree is just so narrow, it wasn’t going to support my weight. I actually had to cut the branch the cat was sitting in,” said Saladin.
But never fear, kitty was placed in Ryan’s equipment bag and brought safely to the ground.
Fortunately, cats have been known to survive more than a week in trees. And the folks at the Idaho Humane Society say they’re excellent climbers so they almost always figure their own way down. And they’ve been known to sustain falls of over a hundred feet without serious injury.
This cat’s name is Hazel, and you’d think she might have taken a swipe at her rescuer. But.
"Didn’t really seem to bother with me at all. Not a scratch? Not a scratch,” said Saladin.
All's well that ends well, but Ryan’s not planning on making a living at it.
"You can’t go out and rescue every cat. You guys are too busy," said Senior Reporter Roland Beres.
"Yeah,” Saladin agreed.
Lucky for hazel, Ryan was available whether she needed him or not.
You might think for liability reasons, fire departments wouldn't rescue cats. But I called around and most of the valley fire departments said they could do a rescue if they don't have anything else going on.
