Teen Trying To Rescue Cat Gets Stuck On Tree 35 Feet Above Ground

An Indiana teenager who climbed a tree to rescue a cat wound up needing rescuing himself.

The 17-year-old, identified only as Owen, was rescued by firefighters after the tabby cat refused to cooperate with his heroic intentions.

Identified only as Owen, the boy climbed up 35 feet of a towering tree at Holliday Park to get to the cat. However, Owen eventually realized that he was stuck in the tree and couldn’t find a way down, according to WRTV. Firefighters from the Indianapolis Fire Department were called to the scene at around 4:37 p.m. Saturday and spent about an hour trying to safely bring Owen down.

“17 year old Owen, told firefighters that he was trying to do a good deed and bring the cat to safety after noticing him in the tree about 35 feet up,” the fire department wrote on Facebook. “While Owen had no trouble climbing up the tree - his positioning did not allow the same ease for getting down.”

More than a dozen rescuers were seen surrounding the tree with throngs of onlookers gathering around to witness the rescue of the boy, who was captured hugging a thick branch of the tree as he waited to be rescued, according to the Kansas City Star.

“In all it took about 1 hour after Tac Team arrival to bring Owen down to safety at 6:36 PM,” the fire department added in their statement. “Crews were unable to simply utilize an aerial ladder due to the ground being too soft to hold the weight of the truck without it getting stuck.”

Owen received medical attention at the scene and was deemed “perfectly fine” apart from a few scrapes, the fire department said. He was allowed to go after firefighters received his parents’ approval.

“The cat seemed to enjoy the commotion but literally made no effort to climb down the tree,” the fire department added.

The fire department’s post about Owen’s rescue received a number of comments.

“Great job IFD! Great job Owen for an above and beyond, kind-hearted try. That darn cat,” said one comment while another read, “As one of our Animal Protection Officers was fond of saying, ‘have you ever seen a dead cat in a tree?’”