After three harrowing days spent mewing for help, a cat stuck atop a Phoenix power pole has been rescued.
Well, actually, the Salt River Project employee dispatched to rescue it scared it — so it ran down the pole on its own, said Kathleen Mascarenas, an SRP media relations representative. It then ran off into an alley and onto what we will assume is a happy life.
The power company typically gets between four and five calls about stranded cats a year, she said, but usually doesn't send out a cherry-picker. Instead, it advises concerned residents to make the bottom of the pole as "cat friendly" as possible by trying to entice it to come down with a bowl of milk or a snack.
"If the cat crawled its way up there, it can crawl its way down," she said.
Naturally, though, when news of the cat's plight broke, the Internet was shocked and appalled.
@abc15 omg somebody please help this cat! , that's sad :(
— Benny (@StormHunter401) December 29, 2015@abc15 @phxfire so horrible!Someone suggested calling in the fire department. (Just a few days ago the team managed to rescue a cat from a chimney, after all). Then, there was a tense moment when it was discovered the kitty was in SRP territory and ABC 15 reported that "SRP is NOT committing to make contact with the cat."
@abc15 Poor kitty! Looks like that pole is in @srpconnect territory. Hope kitty gets down safely & soon.
— APS (@apsFYI) December 29, 2015
So the Internet piled the guilt on the SRP.
@abc15 @apsFYI @SRPconnect Lame. Just let it starve up there and suffer. It's not hard to get a bucket, grab it, let it down.
— KC Masterpiece (@KCBrackley) December 29, 2015
@abc15 @apsFYI @SRPconnect Save the kitty! Bad for PR if you don't!
— joyce gustafson (@heights07) December 29, 2015
@abc15 @SRPconnect please help this cat!!!
— CoyotesHockeyJunkie (@zooten4) December 29, 2015
And SRP dispatched someone to the location.
Happy to report this cat that was stuck on a power pole, scrambled down on its own today when our crews went to help https://t.co/3By3oJMgkI
— Salt River Project (@SRPconnect) December 29, 2015
Hooray!
