'How embarrassing to be one of these firemen!': Cat owner leaves 1-star review of firefighters after they refuse to rescue her stuck cat, only for a neighbor to get it done without the drama

• 01

  

  Firefighter standing in front of a large fire

  Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

• 02

  "Portuguese neighbor rescued my cat"

  

• InsertWittySaying

  Well, they’re not being paid to rescue cats from trees unless you live in 1954 Mayberry.

  TinyTimWannabe

  "You have to wonder what these firefighters are getting paid for.” Here’s a hint: look at the word. Fire + fighter. 🤔

  mspe1960

  since when to fire departments get reviewed on line?

  since when are firemen responsible for rescuing cats?

  why was the fact that his neighbor was Portugese relevent in any way?

• There are many times when it is appropriate to leave a bad review: when you have a clawful experience with customer service, when a store refuses to give you a refund for a faulty item, or when you are purrposefully misled about a certain product. However, a fire department is not one of them. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be a firefighter? You work 24-hour shifts with lots of hazards in your work conditions, it's a high-stress environment, and you're not paid nearly as much as you should be. Give them a break for not using taxpayers' money to rescue your cat that doesn't really need rescuing.

• 03

  

  Man saving a cat on utility post

  Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

• SusieQTG

  Retired FF/Paramedic here, I've rescued a cat from a tree, once. While I can't speak for those that responded to your situation, I can say, that there are many factors that go into making decisions like this, policy, liability and lets not forget, they are putting their lifes at risk. With the rescue I did, I was 30 foot up in a d*ad part of the tree, no longer on the ladder I used to climb up there with a scared cat in my arms, thank goodness for turnout gear. As I was climbing down a call for an ambulance came in. My Lt. asked me if I could hurry so we could respond. I told him other than climbing down the ladder was to take the express routne and we'd need another ambulance. I got down as quickly as I could, handed the cat off to the owner and we responded.

  Would I have done it again? Yes, unless a policy was put in place forbidding it.

  So before saying something negative, thank those that respond 24/7, to emergencies.

  Now lets be honest, have you ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree?

• Let's list all of the reasons why they aren't (and shouldn't) mandated to rescue your cat. Firstly, it’s often not part of their official duties. As the name suggests, their responsibilities include fires, medical emergencies, and rescues involving human life in immediate danger. There are also liability issues, if a firefighter falls while climbing a tree, the worker might get injured and potentially need to be placed on worker's compensation. This could compromise the effectiveness of the team with one purrson missing. Last but not least, what if they miss a life-threatening call because they're handling your non-emergency?

• Budget_Swimming_4482

  I had a cat stuck in a tree once. She was up there screaming to the world that she was stuck while I and the neighbors tried to coax her down. Of course I did not call the fire department. Instead I called the local humane society and asked for their advice. They recommended a local tree surgeon who came, climbed the tree and got my cat (who repaid him by scratching him pretty badly).

• 04

  

  A group of people standing around a tree, one climbing

  Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

• Low-Television-7508

  Typical bureaucracy, sending 4 people when one would do /s.

  I wonder if she reported 'my cat is stuck in a tree', or 'my baby is stuck in a tree'

  OP has a weird definition of 'emergency'.

• Excellent-Ad-3740

  Calling out firefighters for a cat in a tree and then getting into a heated argument because they won't act out a 1950s sitcom trope is peak entitlement.

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