Residents on Pritchard Avenue in Winnipeg’s North End spent their Easter weekend trying to coax a frightened kitten out of a tree.
“The kitten’s been up there for four days,” said Greg Goodison, “It’s probably not going to make it through the night so we put it on the internet.”
That’s how it came to the attention of animal lover Morgan Paul.
“I have cat alert on Facebook and there was a post asking people to help so I rushed over as soon as I saw it,” she said.
She spent the better part of Easter Sunday using cat treats to try and entice the animal to come down but to no avail.
“The cat’s gone higher and higher into the tree,” said Goodison, “It’s got to be 40 or 50 feet up there now.”
A boy living on the street tried to climb the tree to rescue the kitten.
That’s when the Winnipeg fire department got involved.
It is not their policy to rescue animals but they do evaluate requests on a case by case basis and if they feel people might put themselves at risk attempting to save an animal firefighters have the discretion to step in and help.
Keith Dixon is the firefighter who rose to the occasion with the assistance of a ladder truck.
“I’d have to say this is my first cat rescue,” said Dixon.
Paul volunteered to take care of the animal until a permanent home can be found.
