A cat stuck at the top of a 30-foot tree in the Defense Ministry compound in Tel Aviv for 10 days was rescued by rappelling amateurs Wednesday, after the professionals — including the army, the police, the fire brigade, the local zoo, and nature and animal lovers societies — had failed to get the angry, frightened and hungry feline down to safety.
The soldiers in nearby bases and offices could not get to the top of the tree. And neither could policemen. The fire brigade failed to move the cat by spraying water. The SPCA called on experts from the Ramat Gan Safari Zoo. They fired tranquilizer darts at the feline but missed the target.
The Nature Protection Society finally suggested appealing to young rappelling enthusiasts, whose pastime is handling steep drops down cliffs by the use of ropes — this time thrown over the treetop.
The SPCA reported Thursday the cat, which had nothing to eat or drink for 10 days, was recovering from its ordeal.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
