After This Cat Spent Days On Top Of A Light Pole, The Whole Community Rallied To Save It

“Everyone says they can’t do anything,” said resident Jessica Meadows.

Damjan

• Published in Animal Stories
• January 8, 2022

Cats are great at climbing and jumping but getting down can be very tricky for them if it is too high to jump down. It has to do with the shape of their claws – they are perfect for going up but not very good for going down.

And Panther is the perfect example of this “design flaw.” This black cat climbed a 36-foot light pole and couldn’t come down.

It all happened in Aurora, Colorado, and according to the local radio station, the neighborhood residents thought it was actually a panther up there. Well, it was pretty high up… easy to make that mistake.

“Most people calmed down when it was revealed that Panther was really a black cat NAMED Panther! Just LOOKED like an actual panther,” the station wrote on Facebook.

This small panther was in a desperate situation, perched so high up. Since he could not come down on his own, a rescue operation was the only choice.

But specialized rescues are not available everywhere, and the authorities often simply recommend that you should sit and wait. No need to mention that this approach is not very useful.

So, how did he get down? Well, it went something like this...

A cat named Panther got himself in big trouble

He climbed up a 36-foot pole

Back on the ground, neighbors were debating on the best approach. They called Aurora Fire Department, Aurora animal control, Xcel Energy, and even some local businesses. They all said they should just sit and wait.

“Everyone says they can’t do anything,” said resident Jessica Meadows.

A power company official said that most cats come back down eventually.

“Happily, the vast majority of cats on power poles make their way back down on their own without help or injury,” according to the Sangre de Cristo Electric Association. “The difficulty for pet owners can be waiting for the cat to come down, which can take minutes to hours to days. Understandably, people who love their pets grow increasingly worried about their animals as time goes by. Still, patience and communication with… line workers is key to a good resolution to the issue.”

And couldn't get down

However, Panther was still up there after a whole day had passed. Snow started falling and the night temperatures had dropped to 25 degrees.

“Everybody’s been just like, ‘put food down and it’ll come down eventually,'” said Meadows. “That’s not going to happen.”

Then, the story was picked up by Sentinel and Aurora Councilmember Curtis Gardner. After he put in a council request, Aurora firefighters arrived to rescue the poor cat.

But the firemen came

And brought him to safety

He was reunited with his owner

However, Panther was still up there after a whole day had passed. Snow started falling, and the night temperatures had dropped to 25 degrees.

"Everybody's been just like, 'put food down, and it'll come down eventually,'" said Meadows. "That's not going to happen."

Then, the story was picked up by Sentinel and Aurora Councilmember Curtis Gardner. After he put in a council request, Aurora firefighters responded.

"It took the entire community asking for help to rescue Panther, and her momma is so relieved to have her home," stated a woman on Twitter.

Watch the video:

Panther was more than happy to get inside the pet carrier. He meowed a bit, probably due to the excessive stress.

The firefighters managed to bring him safely to the ground, and he is now in good hands. One of Panther’s owners, Kimberly Medina, says he will be an indoor cat from now on.

Damjan