Video: 100-ton crane used in Auburn cat rescue

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AUBURN, Wash. – After spending more than five days stuck up in a tree and weathering two windstorms, things were looking bad for an Auburn kitty named "Number Eight."

But on Wednesday, help arrived in the form of a 160-foot tall crane.

Number Eight, who belongs to Auburn resident William Paige, climbed up a 100-foot Douglas Fir last week and couldn't get down.

"We started hearing her cry and so, we walked around everywhere and stood underneath the tree and called her and called her," Paige said. "And we noticed that she was up there and she was crying."

Piage said two professional climbers weren't able to reach the tabby and the fire department couldn't help. The tree was too flimsy to climb.

KING 5 aired a story on Number Eight's plight Tuesday, and KING 5 web producer Susan Wyatt was moved by Paige's pleas for help. She remembered that she had taken a computer class with Clyde Smith, Tower Crane Superintendent at Ness Cranes.

She e-mailed Smith asking for help. Turns out he was happy to assist.

On Wednesday, Smith rolled up to the Auburn residence with a 160-foot tall crane that weighed 100 tons. He rescued Number Eight.

"That cat was on a branch that was 3/4 of an inch in diameter," Smith said. "I couldn't believe it … I don't think there's any way it could have gotten down."

Smith said the cat was calm at first, but then things changed.

KING

William Paige holds "Number Eight" the cat.

"When she saw us she did not like us," Smith said. "Troy ended up grabbing her, put her in a burlap sack and she let us know how she felt all the way down."

After the rescue, Paige said Number Eight took a nap. He's owned the kitty for about a year.

"She's just a little skinny," he said. "She was a little chunky before but she's lost some weight."

Smith was tickled to be part of the rescue.

"It definitely made my day," Smith said.