This is the moment a kitten is finally rescued from the top of a utility pole, where she had been chased by dogs days earlier, after her owner, people in the community and even the mayor bombarded rescuers and the local electricity company with pleas for help.

The emergency services and the local electricity company had initially passed the buck to each other before declaring it was only a cat, and refusing to help, but she was then rescued anyway in the city of Indio in Riverside County in the US state of California after the concerted campaign finally worked some six days after she went missing.

The cat’s owner Heather Padilla told Newsflash: “The kitten’s name is Ruth, she is 11 months old. Ruth is very outgoing, loving and so friendly. Too friendly, she would let anyone pick her up!

“Ruth was a stray and got rescued at a young age from our friend that helps rescue stray cats. She is neutered and micro-chipped and also has human siblings who love her very much. My other cat is an inside-only kitty and I tried to keep Ruth inside too but she loves to run around in the grass and chase bugs.

“She is so smart, every time our door opens it chimes and she darts outside. She was always really good at going outside and coming back in when I would whistle for her or shake her treats.

“One night, I got home from work late and Ruth hadn’t been home, she was missing for four days. I started posting on local neighbourhood lost and found sites hoping someone had seen her or taken her in thinking she was a stray.”

Heather told Newsflash: “About the fourth day she was gone, I was headed to work walking to my van and she saw me and started meowing. I looked everywhere in the backyard the front yard, I was looking over our brick wall thinking she was stuck in the neighbour’s yard, she sounded so close but so far away at the same time.

“I said her name and she faintly cried. I finally looked up and she was at the top of an electric pole three houses down from us. It was really sunny out that day and the sun was glaring in my eyes and I had to do a double-take because she blended in with the wooden pole.

“We think the neighbour’s dogs scared her, there are two big dogs and another big dog in the front yard and I think that she got scared and ran up the pole and she was not coming down for anything.

“The neighbours were kind enough to bring their dogs in so we could try and get her down by talking to her real softly with a plate of food.

“I called the fire department but they told me to call the police station. The police told me to call the fire department, and then they both told me to call the electric company because of the live wires.

“I called the electric company and they said that they wouldn’t come out for a cat and that they weren’t going to shut down power.

“Finally, on the second day she was up there, I couldn’t stop thinking that she was going to die if I couldn’t get somebody to get her down. It’s so hot during the day and very cold at night. She probably hadn’t eaten for the four whole days she was missing and then she’s at the top of this pole for two days, she was so dehydrated, you could tell she was just weak.”

Heather told Newsflash: “So I called Elaine the mayor and I said that I had exhausted all my options and she said she would do everything she could to help me try and get my kitty down.

“I think with a phone call from Elaine to the IID board and with all the phone calls from the community to the fire department and electric company, finally IID came out here and shut the power down for around 20 minutes and got my baby kitty down from the pole.

“It was so traumatic for me, my husband and my kids, I couldn’t eat or sleep I was so worried. We took her straight to the vet and they said she was fine. We brought her home and it took her a couple days but she finally started eating again and she slept for a solid three days. Finally she is fine and full of life again.

“I’m making sure everyone in this house is extra careful of not letting her out because she is sitting at every door looking at us so sad because she wants to go outside, but I’m so fearful I don’t want her to get hurt.

She added: “I’m so thankful for the word of mouth from everyone in this community and everyone that helped my baby kitty.”