# Local cat in national news!



## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

I was looking at Fox News yesterday and saw this article. Being cat related I had to read it and to my surprise it was here in my hometown. Keep reading and I could not believe the cat belongs to one of my son's classmates! I am glad the story had a happy ending! Here is the link:

Athena the cat rescued after 3 days atop power pole in New Mexico | Fox News


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## Penny135 (Apr 6, 2011)

Wow! What an ordeal. I hope she IS an indoor cat from now on. I'm sure she will be!


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Wow that cat is lucky he didnt go on the transformer. He be a goner! Glad he is going to be an indoor cat now!!!

My honey does the high wires and dangerous stuff for our local electric company. He will go up and get a cat. 

He sent me a picture of the most beautiful bobcat which ran up a pole and was electrocuted. Put out the power to community near by. I think dogs ran the bobcat up the pole. So sad.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Oh my goodness! So glad it has a happy ending! Poor Athena!


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

Poor Athena; I'm glad she was okay!

We had a similar situation occur about an hour and a half North of us in Peterborough recently. That story also had a happy ending, but only because a private citizen with a cherry picker risked his own safety to rescue the cat. The utility company flat out refused to shut off power so that the fire department could go up and get the cat, and they refused to allow any of their linemen to rescue the cat citing safety concerns. It was pretty ridiculous that the utility company wouldn't shut power down to a single residential street for all of 10 minutes in the middle of a weekday to save the life of someone's pet--anyone on the street who was home at the time was outside gawking anyway. Would the utility companies really rather a private citizen get electrocuted trying to save a cat than lose 10 minutes worth of revenue from a handful of homes?! Because, if that's the case, I'm thoroughly disgusted!


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## NBrazil (May 16, 2013)

dt8thd said:


> Poor Athena; I'm glad she was okay!
> 
> We had a similar situation occur about an hour and a half North of us in Peterborough recently. That story also had a happy ending, but only because a private citizen with a cherry picker risked his own safety to rescue the cat. The utility company flat out refused to shut off power so that the fire department could go up and get the cat, and they refused to allow any of their linemen to rescue the cat citing safety concerns. It was pretty ridiculous that the utility company wouldn't shut power down to a single residential street for all of 10 minutes in the middle of a weekday to save the life of someone's pet--anyone on the street who was home at the time was outside gawking anyway. Would the utility companies really rather a private citizen get electrocuted trying to save a cat than lose 10 minutes worth of revenue from a handful of homes?! Because, if that's the case, I'm thoroughly disgusted!


While I agree with your sentiment, it is conceivable/possible that someone on that street could be dependent on a medical device, and if the power were turned off, they could be injured or worse. Just sayin'....

Makes it tricky.


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

NBrazil said:


> While I agree with your sentiment, it is conceivable/possible that someone on that street could be dependent on a medical device, and if the power were turned off, they could be injured or worse. Just sayin'....
> 
> Makes it tricky.


NO different if the power goes down for an accident or storm or whatever. They usually have backups for those very reasons


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

dt8thd said:


> they refused to allow any of their linemen to rescue the cat citing safety concerns. It was pretty ridiculous that the utility company wouldn't shut power down to a single residential street for all of 10 minutes in the middle of a weekday to save the life of someone's pet--.....
> 
> Would the utility companies really rather a private citizen get electrocuted trying to save a cat than lose 10 minutes worth of revenue from a handful of homes?


My honey is a lineman and he looked at the original picture. He said it was an end run and the power could of been shut off easily. Which they probably finally did to allow animal control up there to get the cat. 

As far as dt8thd situation he said it is not as easy as shutting off power for a street. As I understand what he relayed to me.... novice understanding his job.... it depends where the two switching stations are. It can take out large areas. What is serviced in this area.

They had a situation where a cat was up a pole and the people created a stink.. news was out there etc. But it would of shut down the air port, and sewage treatment plant etc. Its not as cut and dried as you think.

He will go up and get a cat but there is danger involved. The animal is agitated. It can touch a live area while getting it out and transmit it to the lineman and electrocute him too.

He said when the news shows up and newspaper and game and fish the electric companies don't want the bad publicity. They are more likely to send a lineman out to rescue the animal. They now provide nests that cant transmit electrical charges, where owl and hawk keep returning to nest because so many times they end up getting electrocute. 

But the response and willingness of the electrical company to do something happened from the outcry of animal lovers and birders bring it to the attention of the media.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Our power went out last week. A squirrel (not sure if it was a screen licking squirrel or not), apparently BBQ'd himself in/on a transformer. Shut down several dozen residences. Glad kitty is ok!


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

LOL! Those Screen Licking Squirrels are a Menace!!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

10cats2dogs said:


> LOL! Those Screen Licking Squirrels are a Menace!!


Semi - private joke for only the die hard CF peeps!!


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

Asked my son, Jacob, about since he goes to school with the girl that owns Athena. Kitty is fine and definitely is going to be an inside cat from now on.


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## koshechka (Jul 14, 2013)

NBrazil said:


> While I agree with your sentiment, it is conceivable/possible that someone on that street could be dependent on a medical device, and if the power were turned off, they could be injured or worse. Just sayin'....
> 
> Makes it tricky.


My mother was dependent on oxygen. She had a number of portable cans handy to take with her as well as one large can with 4 hours worth of oxygen in it. 

There is always backup with medical devices. The power here goes out so often, a lot of people would be dead without them.

It wouldn't be a huge deal to shut of power for 10 minutes. It's pretty terrible they refused to do it when NYC shut down the whole subway line for 2 hours not that long ago because of two stray or feral kittens on the tracks.


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

I remember that! I am glad that story had a happy ending.


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