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Black cat gets stuck in a tree - on Halloween

A Zephyrhills woman's cat went missing days ago. She didn't want him out on Halloween, and found him clinging to a Laurel Oak for dear life.

By GINA PACE
Published November 1, 2006

ZEPHYRHILLS - It seemed like an omen. Debra Flanagan had already lost two black cats in her neighborhood across from Zephyrhills High School. They just disappeared, she said.

She was thinking this one would, too.

"On a day like Halloween, people do bad things to cats," said the 52-year-old who has three other cats and feeds two strays.

Cats, she said, are the best companions for people who suffer from depression and chronic pain like she does. She's unemployed and applying for disability, and the cats are easy to care for. Plus, they don't judge you.

Her ordeal began four days ago. It rained hard, and Flanagan's latest black cat, a Manx, was outside. But he didn't come in, not even after the rain stopped. Flanagan walked the streets around her home, but couldn't find him anywhere. She worried a lot - he wasn't quite a year old, and still had a lot to learn about outdoor survival.

Then early Tuesday morning, Flanagan went out to pick up trash along the neighborhood's streets, as she does everyday to keep her community clean.

About a block from her house, she heard a familiar meow. It was him, his paws clung to a branch about 50 feet up a decaying Laurel Oak tree.

She rallied neighbors who tried for hours to coax him down, but he wouldn't come.

She called everyone she could think of - the police, the fire department, even TV news stations. Few offered help.

Finally, Mid-Florida Tree Service in Thonotosassa agreed to rescue the cat for free. But a neighbor, Gordon Saber, beat the tree service to it. He crawled up and brought Flanagan's kitty back home.

By the time a reporter arrived, Saber had left. He didn't return a call from the Times Tuesday afternoon. Flanagan said he didn't want to be involved with the news story.

She was happy, though. Her black cat was skittish, but healthy and catching up on food and water.

"I'm just so glad to have my cat back," she said.

It was "just a slip" she said that of all cats, hers would become part of the quintessential cat in a tree tale - and a bit ironic.

His name: Einstein.

Gina Pace can be reached at 352 521-6518 or gpace@sptimes.com.

[Last modified November 1, 2006, 07:21:05]