A mum told how she "hadn't slept for days" after her beloved pet cat got stuck up a tree close to train tracks.
Sheila Turner was distraught to learn 18-month-old Simba was high up in a large tree in Allerton on Friday, April 7. Simba is as a therapy cat for Sheila's 15-year-old son, who has autism, and the family was sick with worry for almost two days as the British shorthair seemed unable to get down from the tree which is close to a railway line.
Sheila told the ECHO: "I haven't slept for days, honestly we've been sick with worry and the cat was stuck in the blazing sun for well over 24 hours. With my son being autistic, he relies on the cat quite a lot."
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After exploring every avenue, including the fire service and Network Rail which owns the land, Sheila felt like she was "going in circles" with no solution in sight. She then contacted tree surgeon Michael Finch.
Michael, from Garston, has worked as a tree surgeon around Liverpool for almost 20 years and was keen to step in and help. The 38-year-old told the ECHO: "I got the call last night, I think it was from one of Sheila's friends, but I was out across the water so I said I'd be up as early as possible on Sunday morning."
After slowly scaling the large tree using his specialist equipment, Michael was able to secure Simba in a cat carrier and bring him down to his grateful owners.
He added: "I've rescued a few cats from trees over the years and I'm just happy that Sheila and her lad have their cat back. They seemed made up. If you look on Facebook it seems like I'm a hero which is funny."
Sheila added: "Michael really is my saviour, I can't thank him enough. We are just so relieved and glad the cat is home. He's really weak at the moment but he's sat waiting on my son's bed for him."
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