Arborist Josh Micallef rescues a Wellington cat after five days up a Phoenix palm. Photo / Supplied
Arborist Josh Micallef rescues a Wellington cat after five days up a Phoenix palm. Photo / Supplied
A Wellington man is offering a free expert service rescuing cats from trees - snagging moggies from places not even the fire service can reach.
Arborist Josh Micallef climbs, prunes, and removes trees for a living, and realised he had a skill set and the right tools to help outdesperate cat owners.
The Johnsonville resident first put his abilities to good use eight years ago when both firefighters and the Australian RSPCA failed to get a distressed cat down from a tree after four days stuck up there.
Micallef came to the rescue, and ended up adopting the pet from its owner, who was dealing with illness.
He posted a photo of himself with the rescued cat, Slinky, on the Cats of Wellington Facebook page, announcing he was now offering "free cat-up-a-tree rescues to the Wellington Region due to my love of kitties".
Josh Micallef rescued his cat Slinky (pictured) from a tree in Australia after the Fire Service and RSPCA failed to get it down. Photo / Supplied
Within a day of posting the message, Micallef was called to a woman's house where her pet had been stuck in a Phoenix palm for five days.
He had just sat down at the end of a cold day and opened a beer, but thought, "there's probably also a really cold cat stuck in a tree", so jumped in his truck and headed to the scene at 8.30pm.
"Phoenix palms are the worst trees to climb, they've got huge spikes on them," he told the Herald.
They were also "one of the worst trees for a cat to get stuck in".
Josh dropped everything to head out the other night and rescue a cat from a Phoenix palm. Photo / Supplied
"It was good to get the cat down . . . I got to her and she was kind of scared but relieved to see me. By the time I picked her up and got her into my hands she was stoked."
Micallef has no desire to charge anyone for his services, saying he is happy to "do a bit of extra work for a good cause".
"If no one else can do it, what's the other option?"
He was an animal lover and thought there was no reason not to help out where he could.
Micallef laughed at the fact people on social media had labelled him a "hero" for his generous offer, saying it was "a bit much".
"I got a really positive response, I was pretty taken aback to be honest."
Anyone needing Micallef's rescue services can contact his business, Urban Tree Services.
Arborist Josh Micallef rescues a Wellington cat after five days up a Phoenix palm. Photo / Supplied
