Published: 6/29/2018 8:19:56 PM
ORANGE — Just before the rain started late Wednesday evening, the Orange Fire Department rescued an adventurous 9-month-old kitten named Tiger Lily about 50 feet in the air, stuck on a branch in a tall tree.
Owner of the kitten David Graham, of The Farm School, said this was the third time Tiger Lily climbed up into a tree, but the first time the Fire Department assisted to remove her. A friend tried to climb the tree to grab the kitten, Graham said, but she would not come down. After brainstorming with his fellow Farm School Staff, the fire department was called.
“I was worried about the weather coming in and was hoping she would get down herself somehow,” he said.
Firefighter Joseph Larson was one of the individuals who responded to the call. After the ladder truck was set up, Larson sprung into action and headed up the tree toward the kitten.
“It was very scared, but it didn’t claw. I grabbed the kitten and it jumped into my hands,” he said.
The ladder was brought down and then Larson handed over the kitten to Graham.
“We pride ourselves on being a community oriented fire department. We strive to serve the public the best we can. We have no doubt any member of our department will do what we can do — safely, to serve our community, including family pets,” said the Orange Fire Department in a Facebook post.
Larson is the newest fulltime firefighter to join the department and he said this is the first time where he’s had to save a kitten. Graham was thankful for the department’s help.
“I was happy to have her on the ground, she is definitely going to stay inside for awhile,” he said.