A cat, stranded in a tree for over five days, is now safely back on the ground thanks to the efforts of a caring community in Vacaville.
The distressed cat, perched more than 30 feet up in a tall tree near the intersection of Alamo Drive and Peabody Road, was heard crying for help by residents. Rhonda Rohde, a local neighbor who had been feeding the cat and its feral colony for years, was one of the first to notice. She had nicknamed the solid white cat “Whitey” and had watched him grow up.
“He had been stuck in that tree for five days. We were out here every day trying to help him,” Rohde shared.
Rohde also mentioned that the cat had recently been injured by a dog in the apartment complex, suffering damage to his back legs. After the dog chase, the cat sought refuge in the tree, where he remained without food or water, clinging to the branches.
The cat’s cries were heart-wrenching, leaving neighbors emotionally troubled by their inability to help.
“It was heartbreaking. The cries were so intense, and it was so difficult not being able to do anything,” said Rohde.
Neighbors tried using a ladder to reach the cat, and even an arborist attempted to climb the tree, but the cat was just out of reach. As the situation grew more urgent, Desiree Richardson posted about the cat’s predicament in a local Facebook group, which quickly attracted nearly 1,000 comments, with suggestions and offers to help.
“We’ve been trying everything — animal control, the fire department, the police — but no one could help,” said Richardson.
That’s when Aaron Cradduck, a local business owner, saw the post and offered to assist. Cradduck, who owns Solano Signs, used his bucket truck to help rescue the cat.
“We had to get a little creative,” Cradduck explained. “We used an extension pole with a fish net taped to the end, and were finally able to get the cat into the bucket and bring him safely down.”
Cradduck’s quick thinking and use of the equipment he had on hand earned him the title of “hero” from the grateful neighbors.
“The relief when he finally netted the cat was overwhelming,” said Richardson. “But once we got him down, the next step was figuring out what to do.”
Richardson rushed the cat to an emergency vet, where it received treatment for dehydration. Thankfully, the vet was hopeful for a full recovery.
“I’ll be fostering him as he heals and will work on getting him used to being around people,” Richardson said. “Once he’s better, I hope to find him a forever home.”
She expressed her gratitude for the community’s collective effort to save the cat, saying, “At the end of the day, it’s a life saved. You can’t put a price on that.”
Neither Richardson nor Cradduck accepted any donations for their roles in rescuing the animal, with both emphasizing that helping was simply the right thing to do.
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