Man dies trying to save cat

ORANGE, Calif., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A Southern California man fell to his death while trying to retrieve his neighbor's cat from a tree.

Scott Buehler was stretching out his hand to the cat when he fell. He and the animal both dropped 35 to 40 feet Wednesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The cat survived the fall with minor injuries and was returned to its owner in less than two hours.

Buehler was wearing a helmet.

Fire Captain Ian MacDonald told the Times in an e-mail that firefighters do not rescue cats from trees because of the risk and because it would tie up units that might be needed elsewhere. He said cats will almost always come down on their own if left to themselves.