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Cat rescued after spending days atop high voltage power pole

Posted at 9:51 PM, Nov 22, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-22 23:58:00-05

FRESNO, Calif. — There he sat all alone. Fat Boy, the King of the World -- 45 feet above ground, perched atop a high voltage power pole for somewhere between six and eight days.

His owners figure a neighbor's dog scared him up there and this fraidy cat was unwilling to come down the way he got up.

"We were calling his name and he was looking at us, and he'd just meow," said Andrew Perez, Fat Boy's owner.

They tried using wet food to coax him down.

They built a tarp to break his fall, if he fell.

They called for help -- to animal control, Pacific Gas & Electric and the fire department.

"Fire department came out within minutes and they were really helpful, but they said they could not get the cat because it was on a high voltage pole," said Anna Robinson, a neighbor.

For days, Fat Boy never made it more than a few inches down the pole.

But on Tuesday, the cavalry arrived.

Pacific Gas & Electric linemen de-energized the power line, knocking out power to about 250 homes.

Porter and Dave geared up, and slowly got up the pole.

They say almost every cat jumps before they get to the top.

But up they went -- grounding the wires, pulling up a cat carrier, and reaching out.

Fat Boy still had another 45 feet to go -- down this time -- and when he got there, he was dehydrated, but still a little frisky.

Veterinary technicians from a Hanford, Calif. cat rescue group gave him a shot of electrolytes and some food before handing him over to his owners.

The owners said Fat Boy is happy inside his home now.

The Pacific Gas & Electric crew added some equipment to make sure no more animals ever sit on Fat Boy's throne.