Video shows dramatic rescue of cat from 100-foot-tall tree
By Jennifer Franciotti
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ESSEX, Maryland (WBAL) — A dramatic rescue of a cat clinging to life in a 100-foot-tall tree was caught on video after last weekend’s snowstorm.
Warm and safe now, the cat named “Oak” has quite a story.
The little guy wasn’t curled safely in a crate during last weekend’s storm; he was actually stuck at the top of a 100-foot sweetgum tree for more than 24 hours.
Dawn Cannella runs Peninsula Colony Cats, which helped with the rescue, along with neighbors, watched in horror as the cat, who is likely a stray from a nearby apartment building, clung to the tree’s branches.
“Emotionally, horrible. It was awful. I couldn’t sleep. We knew we had to get the cat out of the tree before he died,” Cannella told WBAL-TV 11 News.
All the while, Oak was stuck in the snow, sleet and freezing rain.
“The wind started blowing, and the ice was just starting. It was just awful,” Cannella told WBAL-TV 11 News.
Onlookers became distraught. They first called the Baltimore County Fire Department. When help couldn’t come, they called Patrick Dotson with Healthy Trees Tree Service to save the day.
“I thought God was calling me to rescue the cat, that was the first initial thing,” Dotson told WBAL-TV 11 News. “I’ve done training area rescues for climbers. I’ve never rescued a cat before. I put it on my (business) card just to be ready.”
Dotson described the moment he first attempted the rescue.
“Initially, I thought this was (going to) be an easy climb because Oak was about 20 feet down from where he originally ended up,” Dotson told WBAL-TV 11 News. “I got about 5 feet to him. They sent up cat food; I thought maybe he’ll smell the food, he’ll come down. No, he just kept going up higher and higher.”
Dotson had to turn to plan B, which was to cut the branch and create a bridge to grab Oak.
“We began to cut the branch as it peeled over. I guess he got scared,” Dotson told WBAL-TV 11 News.
Oak then jumped off the tree as the heart-pounding video showed the moment rescuers finally got him.
“He was covered in ice. His eyes were all crusted,” Cannella told WBAL-TV 11 News.
Oak suffered from a broken leg in two spots, but Cannella hopes he’ll recover fully.
“Hopefully, he won’t need surgery. He has some frostbite areas, and other than that, he’s relatively healthy,” Cannella told WBAL-TV 11 News.
All thanks to bravery, teamwork and generosity.
“It’s an amazing job that you do,” Cannella told Dotson.
“We showed up to be a great team,” Dotson said.
“It was wonderful,” Cannella said.
Oak still needs to recover for a few more weeks before he’s ready for adoption. Not surprisingly, he has already had much interest.
For those who would like to follow his story, or see more about some of the cats that are up for adoption, follow Peninsula Colony Cat Rescue on social media.
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