Woman uses crowdfunding campaign to rescue cat from tree

FERNTREE GULLY , Australia, April 28 (UPI) -- A woman in Australia sought the help crowdfunding to rescue her neighbor's cat from a neighborhood tree.

Susie Butler created the GoFundMe campaign "Get Boots down from the tree" after her neighbor's orange tabby cat had been trapped in a 40-foot tall tree.

"As of 6 p.m. he has been up there 12 hours," she wrote. "We have tried everything to get him down and tried avenues like RSPCA, council, Fire Brigade!"

Butler noted that the tree could not be climbed and neither she nor her neighbor could afford to enlist the help of a professional, although she offered to contribute $50 of her own to the cause.

Her campaign quickly caught on, reaching its goal of $205 in just four hours.

She enlisted the help of Nigel Williamson, from Nigel's Animal Rescue, who shared a video of Boots in the tree before rescuing the stranded feline.

"There's never been a cat I haven't been able to get down," he said.

Williamson, who's been rescuing animals for cats for more than 30 years, also took $20 off the cost of his services after hearing of Butler's crowdfunding effort.