A nearly week-long saga of a black cat perched precariously on the top of a power pole in Gilroy had a happy outcome—with an unknown ending Oct. 30.
Concerned neighbors spotted the dare-deviling feline atop the 20-foot pole in the backyard of a home on Ramona Way in north Gilroy roughly five days ago, according to the Facebook page, “All Animal Rescue & Friends.”
Some commenters expressed concern about the cat’s well-being, while others worried that the four-legged furball could accidentally get caught up in the pole’s electrical transformer and spark a fire. Anxiety over power lines are high in California as Pacific Gas & Electric continues to conduct its “Public Safety Power Shutoff” program throughout the scorched state.
A PG&E spokesperson initially had told neighbors and the Gilroy Dispatch that any rescue of the cat would be the Gilroy Fire Department’s responsibility. A Gilroy Fire Department spokesperson said the department had received a call about the cat the day before, but said a rescue would be up to PG&E because the utility had to cut the power to the pole before any rescue attempt.
Residents, frustrated by the lack of response from both agencies, reached out to media, including the Gilroy Dispatch, with their tale of woe.
When informed by the Dispatch of the predicament, Gilroy Mayor Roland Velasco drove to the scene late Wednesday morning to assess the situation and speak with neighbors.
Shortly after inquiries from various reporters, a PG&E crew led by a technician who neighbors said described himself as Angel visited the Ramona Way address to come up with a rescue plan.
As the crew deactivated the line and began scaling the pole, the cat leaped off the pole, and, true to popular belief, landed on all four legs before running away from its hopeful saviors.
Laura Brasfield, whose Facebook post alerting the community to the situation generated more than 120 comments, said neighbors eventually found the cat in a nearby yard, but it then darted off in the opposite direction, and has not been seen since—perhaps looking to haunt another neighborhood in time for Halloween.
“All the neighbors are putting out water and food for him,” she wrote. “I have to say that cat moved fast after being on a pole with no water or food and then jumping off the pole. My friend, the cat’s owner and close neighbors will keep looking for him. I want to thank our animal-loving community for all their calls to PG&E and the news media. At least he is off the pole.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the cat had not returned to the pole.
