Bill Blackhall says his cat has been stuck on a power pole for the past for nights but has hope B.C. Hydro will finally get the cat down today, Thursday, April 14, 2016.
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April 14, 2016 - 4:17 PM
UPDATE: 9:30 a.m., Friday, April 15, 2016
PRINCETON - A social network campaign played a role in the rescue of a stubborn cat from a perilous perch this week.
The orange and white cat climbed a 20-metre high B.C. Hydro pole in Princeton on Monday, April 11, and refused to come down.
Bill Blackhall says his cat — who goes by several names including Kitty or Puss — was terrified.
To make matters worse, the cat was on a pole with high voltage transmission lines, meaning only specially trained crews could pluck her from her perch.
As the week progressed, a Twitter campaign swelled, calling on B.C. Hydro to intervene.
Even Okanagan-Coquihalla member of Parliament Dan Albas added his voice, posting a Twitter demand that Hydro either save the cat or explain why it couldn't.
Hydro relented yesterday afternoon, April 14, sending a crew working in the Salmon Arm area, nearly 300 kilometres away, reuniting the cat with a grateful Blackhall last night.
— With files from The Canadian Press
1:17 p.m., Thursday, April 14, 2016
PENTICTON - A Princeton pet owner is frustrated at B.C. Hydro's slow response to his cat's predicament.
Bill Blackhall says his cat — who goes by several names including Kitty and Puss — has been stuck on a 60-foot high power pole for the past four nights, and is terrified.
“She tries to get down, but she’s just too frightened. It’s a scary view, looking down from that height,” he says.
Blackhall says B.C. Hydro has let him down twice so far, at first denying the transmission line was theirs and then saying they would send a crew to get his cat down, but didn't.
Meanwhile, a Princeton resident has been championing his cat’s cause.
“She has told me earlier today Fortis tweeted her to tell her they would be coming out today, and more recently, told me B.C. Hydro was sending a crew down from Salmon Arm,” he says.
“Hopefully it will get resolved today,” Blackhall says. “Maybe they’ll both arrive and fight each other to be the hero."
B.C. Hydro spokesperson Dag Sharman says they've been working all day trying to figure out how they were going to rescue the cat. He says the 138,000 volt transmission line tower the cat is on top of presents some challenges.
The high voltage and 60-foot height of the towers require a specialized crew who were working in the Shuswap today, he says, but adds a crew has been dispatched and he is hopeful the cat will be retrieved today.
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