(Note to readers: The image above in neither the man, the cat or the tree in question. However, it’s very funny. See tweets below for the actual culprits.)
Well, this is a new one (almost), and frankly, we’re sort of surprised it doesn’t happen more often.
The AP reports that a man in the West Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia, got stuck in a tree on Friday when he was trying to be a hero and rescue a feline from its lofty perch in the same tree.
Apparently, the man climbed past the ladder he initially used and went on to scale about 50 feet further up the tree. At that point, local firefighters responded to the scene to assist the duo. The man, who may be a friend of the cat’s owner, was safely retrieved from the tree within a half hour.
As originally told to The Virginian-Pilot, “This is not something we normally do,” said Norfolk Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Harry Worley.
The firefighters, with the aid of a ladder truck, coaxed the cat down too. It was delivered safely to its owner.
“They went around and thanked everyone,” Worley told The Virginian-Pilot. “From what I could tell [the man who was rescued] was relieved to be back on the ground.”
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Neither the cat nor his would-be rescuer were available for comment.