A new relationship with animals, nature and each other.

Rescued after Four Days in Tree

Chewy the cat raced up a tree when she came face to face with a raccoon in her backyard. Then he wouldn’t come down.

The family couldn’t reach him: he was too high up in the branches. The South Bend, Indiana, Fire Department said they don’t help stranded animals. And Chewy was just too spooked to help himself.

Three days later, Chewy had endured 95-degree heat and a thunder storm. Still he wouldn’t come down. Then the family called the Walt Temple Tree Service, and a team was soon on the scene. A few minutes later, Chewy was safely indoors.

Here’s how it went:

“Sometimes they get confused and they don’t know which way to go and that’s the only thing you can do is go grab them,” said Walt Temple, who rescues about three cats from trees each month.

Walt’s top tips for rescuing cats from trees:

  1. Try to put the cat’s favorite food or toy in sight to help bring him down.
  2. Use a hose to spray water above the animal. Typically he’ll come down to avoid getting wet.