Frosty the cat spent a nervy night stuck on top of a chimney – until a team effort saw him safely back to earth.
The white puss made his way to the lofty position via a skylight in his home, a terrace house on Burton Stone Lane, York.
And promptly found he couldn’t get back.
Frosty, who is deaf, couldn’t be tempted back with offers of food from his owners.
The frightened feline spent the night under the stars before the cavalry arrived – in the shape of the RSPCA and North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service.
Firefighters from York and Huntington – along with their aerial ladder platform – went to the house at about 2.20pm on Tuesday, 2 May.
Fire officers used an aerial ladder platform to reach the cat and RSPCA trainee animal rescue officer James Dack managed to take hold of the feline – who was unhurt if a bit cheesed off – and took him down to safety.
RSPCA inspector Claire Mitchell said: “Frosty was really scared and didn’t want to come back in for food. Because he is deaf he also didn’t respond to the calls of his worried owners.
“He’d jumped out onto the roof through an open skylight window and had been there overnight.
“While we tell people to try and encourage their cats to come down, he was stuck for over 24 hours and needed help.
“Our new recruit, James, went up on the platform. He is on a 17-week training course, so this was a good experience for him.
“He grabbed Frosty, put him in a basket and took him down to his owners who were delighted – they were worried as the cat usually doesn’t leave the house.”
The RSPCA works closely with the emergency services and is incredibly grateful for any help it receives.
The charity can request the help of the fire and rescue service and some crews use animal rescues for training, but emergencies involving people always take their priority.
To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care please visit our website or call our donation line on 0300 123 8181.
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