Peterborough residents rally to rescue wayward kitten Boots

A combination of social media savvy and community spirit contributed to bringing Boots the kitten safely back to earth in Peterborough on Wednesday.

An indoor cat, Boots, made a break for the great outdoors and ended stuck up a tree at the corner of Stewart and Dalhousie Streets Wednesday morning.

Several attempts were made to coax the eight-week old kitten out of the tree but none worked.

Peterborough Fire Services were contacted but their equipment didn’t allow them to get close enough to Boots.

Cathy Yates, a neighbour, posted a photo of the situation on the Kawartha Lakes Animal Wellness Society Facebook page asking for rescue suggestions.

“A lady on there suggested I contact Merrett Home Hardware and speak to Drew and Drew would likely help, as he’s a big animal lover,” said Yates.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "A lady on there suggested I contact Merrett Home Hardware and speak to Drew and Drew would likely help, as he's a big animal lover," said Yates.

Drew Merrett, owner of Merrett Home Hardware brought out a hydraulic lift and after a preliminary attempt rode the machine’s bucket to a point where he could grab Boots and bring him down.

“Nobody else was available to come. I had this here at my store and I said I might as well give it a shot, and help a cat today,” Merrett told CHEX News.

The kitten is owned by a young boy who had to go to daycare Wednesday morning after Boots climbed the tree. His mom says she’s happy the kitten is safely back to earth in time for him to come home this afternoon.