BRIGG, UK – A terrified kitten who was stranded in a 20ft tree has been saved and rehomed – by the very firefighter who rescued him.
The small ginger kitten is believed to have been stuck among all of the dense foliage of the tree in Bigby High Road, Brigg for over 24 hours.
The RSPCA were summoned out to assess the situation and determined that they needed to enlist the assistance of Humberside Fire and Rescue as it was actually the only way they could reach the despairing feline.
“The poor kitten was stuck about 20ft up in the tree and the caller thought he’d been there for over 24 hours,” stated animal collection officer for the charity, whose name is Carol Smith.
“Due to his age and the height of the tree, I called in a local fire crew to help get to him.
“It took more than 90 minutes to get up to the tree and find him among the dense foliage. When they found him he was huddled inside a pigeon nest with some nestlings.
“There was a large, flat area atop the tree and the caller said she often saw an adult ginger cat in the sheep fields behind her garden so wondered if she was a feral and had given birth to the kitten up in the tree for safety.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t find the mother so we decided to take the kitten into one of our branches for a check-up and the care he needed.”
Duane Lidgett, who is 37, from Brigg, was one of the heroic crew members who lent a hand to save the lonely animal, and following approval of his wife, Emma, a decision was quickly made to take the kitten home and adopt him as part of the family.
“We lost our 16-year-old cat in February and had said we wouldn’t get another one,” stated Mr Lidgett. “But when I saw this little one how could we resist?”
“It was a nightmare of a job as the tree was so big and overgrown with ivy.
“People could hear the meowing but we couldn’t see him. Once up the ladder, we could see a pigeon nest with two young birds in it and then, all of a sudden, Buddy’s little head popped up.”
The pair will take the little kitten home for the very first time this week and have decided to name him Buddy.
“I have ended up with a new friend!” concluded Mr Lidgett.
