Cat Finally Warm and Safe After Being Trapped in Tree for 3 Cold, Snowy Days
Courtesy of Robert Hauptly
A cat in Waterloo, Iowa, has found a new home after being rescued from a tree in late February. The daring kitty climbed to a perch on the tree and became stuck, dozens of feet in the air, where he remained for days before his rescue.
The cat—a gray adult shorthair, newly named Meowzer—climbed into the tree on Feb. 19 and remained there until he was finally saved by a MidAmerican Energy employee on Feb. 22. Meowzer had been stuck in the tree over an entire weekend, during sub-zero temperatures—which dipped to negative 14 one night-—and through a snowstorm.
Keondra Robinson called the fire department after someone told her Meowzer had been up there for several days. She called the fire department, but they couldn't come out because of the weather. (Also, fire departments generally don't respond to cat-in-tree calls anymore.) Putting food at the bottom of the tree didn't work either. She decided to turn to social media for help.
"People started coming out, a lady brought a blanket, a man brought a ladder," she told Daily Paws. "The man who brought the ladder, but it was too short, said he wasn't leaving until the cat came down."
That man was Travis McAtee. He'd saw Robinson's posts, reached out to her, and offered to assist with the rescue. McAtee told local reporters he decided to call the MidAmerican Energy call line for assistance.
"I told them what was going on," McAtee told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. "The lady said she doesn't think they can do that, but she put me on hold."
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MidAmerican employees conferred with each other and discovered there was an employee nearby who was currently between jobs and able to come assist with the rescue. Lineman Eric Weber drove the scene, used his equipment to grab the cat, and had Meowzer down in about 10 minutes.
After the rescue, McAtee decided to take the cat home to live with his family. Meowzer is adjusting well to family life and loves attention, McAtee said, but it seems as though the cat had been a little bit of a loner prior to the rescue. McAtee will be keeping Meowzer inside until the weather warms up, then the feral kitty will join a group of about 15 barn cats that McAtee currently cares for.
We are so relieved this cat was rescued, and we love to hear that Meowzer has a new home. For information about helping scared cats, check out our tips and tricks for safely catching skittish cats.
