On Saturday, Pastor Aaron J. White of First Presbyterian Church witnessed a rescue that warmed his heart.
"This morning, our children and youth were practicing for their Christmas play," he said. "As I was arriving for practice, I saw two engines from the Fulton Fire Department parked at the corner of Court Street and St. Louis Avenue."
Up in the tree was a very unhappy feline, with Capt. Irving Garbison and firefighter Dennis Bacon attempting to effect its rescue.
"The bucket of the ladder truck was already high in the branches of the tree on the corner, as Fulton firefighters struggled to reach a stranded cat," White said.
White said he'd seen the cat in the tree Friday afternoon, and a passerby attempted to rescue it.
"Unfortunately, the cat had climbed beyond reach," White said. "They had hoped that the cat would eventually be able to find its own way down.
He got out his camera and started snapping pictures.
"While it might seem like a quaint scene from another time, I found it heartwarming to see that we live in a community where our firefighters still come to help a stranded feline get back to terra firma," White said.
In the end, the grey striped cat was rescued from the tree and fed, as well. White said it was released as the local animal shelter is not accepting strays at this time.
"Given that it didn't put up a fight when the firefighters reached it, I think that the cat was frightened and confused by the situation but not scared of the people trying to help it," he added. "So, the cat was released, hopefully to find its way home."
Fulton Fire Chief Kevin Coffelt said saving cats in trees is part of the job.
"People call and we go do what we can to help them," he said. "We run a variety of different calls."