"We had to get creative!"
This story ushers in the new year with a purr and a smile…
The cat was at the very top of a 35ish-foot-tree that is DENSE. You couldn’t see past the first branch if you stand under the tree and look up.
This cat was chased up a tree by a dog on December 28th. That day, and for the next five, he never ceased to meow and call out for help.
Fire department had visited in person, and all the local stations called. The ladder truck was out of service. Police department could not assist, and animal control declined to assist. His desperate cries were impossible for neighbors to ignore. “Oh it was bloody murder, the cat was crying its eyes out. It was hard. It was emotionally hard to listen to it and not be able to help,” said neighbor Rhonda Rohde.
Food had been left at the base of the tree, and IN the tree. “People ‘psp psp psps,’ ‘meowed,’ and ‘here kitty kitty’ their hearts out, the cat didn’t budge,” reported neighbor Desiree Richardson on Facebook, fearing the worst. The post now has nearly 1,000 comments — many were suggestions and offers to help.
Rohde said that she has been feeding the cat and his feral colony since he was just a kitten and nick-named the solid white cat “Whitey”
That’s when local sign business owner Aaron Cradduck saw Richardson’s post and pitched in to help rescue the cat Thursday morning, January 2nd. He explains, “They had called the Police Department, Fire Department, Animal Control, Humane Animal Services, and PGE, and none we able or willing to help…. As soon as we heard this we sent a message and said we would help! I got ahold of the person who put the call out for help and was able to meet up with her and we saved the cat!
“We had to get a little creative,” Craddock said. “Took every inch of our 60’ Boom lift plus a 20’ pole with a fishing net attached to the end of it. We were able to get the cat into the bucket and back down here safely.”
Craddock owns Solano Signs, a Fairfield company that installs signs for people’s businesses and is a Member of the Sign Biz Network.
“It felt right”
“It felt right,” he said. We have the equipment. Why not?” Craddock added.
Neighbors are now calling him their hero.
“We were contacted by 3 different news channels wanting to do stories on it. Two of them had aired last night and today. We have received so many calls of thanks and praise.
Cradduck tells us, “The kitten was severely dehydrated, with high sodium levels caused by the lack of food and water. I got word last night the kitten got to go home and was doing great!”
Solano Signs received some well-deserved recognition, including a nomination for Citizen of the Year. A feral kitten network group sent lunch to their office for the team today and “Our Facebook page is getting blown up, and we even received a 5-star review on Google,” he adds. We might add, Solano Signs is the cat’s meow!
“My intent in helping wasn’t about the recognition, but I can say it does feel good to be recognized every now and then! So take a little time, offer your assistance if you can. It feels good to give back to the community…“
Aaron Cradduck
1070 Horizon Dr
Unit F
Fairfield, CA 94534
(707) 427-0400
