A cat named Fat Boy was rescued after being stuck on a pole for nine days. Andrew Perez, a 14-year-old boy from Fresno, said that his large black and white cat climbed onto a 45-foot power pole that connects 1,200-volt lines and had been sitting there for over a week without food or water.
Perez said that he believes that a dog chased Fat Boy up the pole and he has been scared to come down on his own. The teenager and his family called several agencies and tree cutting services and pleaded with them to rescue his pal, but they all declined to help. Fat Boy’s owner said:
“We called everyone – anyone that could help, but they didn’t come. He’s a nice cat. He probably went up there because he got scared by a dog. I was scared.”
On Thanksgiving Eve, Silver Villa, an employee of the nonprofit, Paw Lives Matter, made sure that both the Perez family and Fat Boy received some great news. The charity contacted Pacific Gas and Electric Co in Fresno, which was willing to send several linemen, who worked diligently to save the feline.
Crews cut off electricity to 250 homes before climbing to retrieve the cute fur ball. After nine days, Fat Boy is said to be in excellent health and suffering only from minor dehydration. Villa said he was not able to sleep while on the pole and was hit with torrential rains and wind.
After being rescued, Villa and Kathleen Johnson, who work for of All Paws Matter, gave Fat Boy fluids and vitamins and returned him to his grateful owner.
Villa said that the cat had no difficulty eating and drinking. Minutes after being saved, the happy kitty, was pictured in his owner’s hands getting lots of hugs and caresses. Friends and neighbors also came by to pat the cat.
In a statement issued by the Pacific Gas and Electric Co, they explained why they were not in a real rush to send a crew to get the animal down. According to the company, most of the time cats climb from the poles or tree on their own. PG&E spokesman Denny Boyles said:
“Sometimes we wait out cats on poles,99 per cent of the time, cats come down on their own. In this case, it’s been up there that long, we just made the decision to go ahead and go up there.”
He added:
“It’s not a simple thing to climb a power pole and get a cat down. The first thing we have to do is de-energize the line – it’s a 12,000-volt line. The safety of the two guys who went up on the pole, and the crew member on the ground, has to be our first priority every time.”
The crew installed animal-deterrent plastic around the poles to make sure Fat Boy and other creatures stop climbing.
