VANCOUVER -- A cat in B.C.'s Fraser Valley has been reunited with its owner after spending at least three days stuck in a tree about 35 metres off the ground.
The fortunate feline has local tree-cutter Johnathon Prest to thank for rescuing it from the top of a tall cedar just outside of Agassiz, B.C. this week.
"He made it right to the top, the little bugger," said Prest. "He was right on the tip, right on the very last small limb, hanging on for dear life."
Prest is the owner of Johnny 5's Tree Services. He says he's found himself in a lot of precarious situations over the years, but none quite like this one.
"What made the rescue so unique and so dangerous was that he had chosen a tree that had what we'd call a snipe, a dead top," Prest said. "It's starting to die from the top down."
Climbing up to rescue the cat meant putting himself, and the animal, in harm's way.
"There's obviously a high risk of it actually breaking while I'm up there on that part of the tree," he said.
If the tree had broken, it's unlikely Prest would have survived the fall.
The rescue took about an hour, and - fortunately for everyone involved - the tree held firm.
Asked why he put his life on the line to rescue a cat, Prest talked about respecting other living things and wanting to "give back" for what he sees as his gift for climbing trees and working in them for a living.
"The way I see it, it's just like somebody's child up there," he said.
