While many people in Potomac woke up to Saturday morning's heavy rains worrying about their trees, Jody Irving was worried about her cat, Kahleesi, who had spent the night at least 80 feet up in a tree.
"Our beloved but apparently dumb kitty has been stuck in a tree all night," Irving posted to the neighborhood listserv. "Does anyone have any advice? She is way beyond standard ladder length."
Kahleesi was stuck, about the equivalent of 8-stories in the air, and did not show any signs of coming down on her own despite the downpour.
Soon Irving located Mike Fried, who specializes in tree care, with some cat rescue on the side. His website estimates that he has saved between 400-500 cats in arboreal distress since 1977.
Fried climbed 80 feet up before he had to cut the limb the cat was on. She rode the limb to the ground and then shot into the house for some food.