A Long Island resident was out for a normal day when he spotted something alarming — a tiny kitten stranded nearly 40 feet up in a tree, crying loudly for help. Not knowing what else to do, he contacted local animal rescuer John Debacker, who rushed to the scene.
As soon as Debacker approached, he heard the kitten’s frantic cries echoing from above.
“From the second I heard him, I knew he was in trouble,” Debacker told The Dodo.
With one hand gripping a ladder and the other holding a tray of cat food, Debacker carefully climbed upward. He placed the food in a nook of the tree, hoping to coax the frightened kitten closer.
But the ladder wasn’t quite tall enough. So Debacker stretched his arm out as far as he could, gently encouraging the kitten to come toward him.
Then — without warning — the little cat jumped.
In a split second, Debacker reached out and caught him mid-air.
“I did not expect him to jump like that,” he said.
Once his feet were back on solid ground, Debacker was overjoyed.
“Screaming from about 40 feet high in a Hempstead tree for hours — this baby is safe!” he later wrote on Facebook.
You can watch the rescue play out in a video here:
The rescued kitten was taken to Last Hope Animal Rescue, where he’s now enjoying full meals, toys, and lots of love from staff.
They’ve named him Oakley, and his life is finally taking a turn for the better.
You can follow more of Debacker’s incredible rescues on his Facebook page.
