Cat-astrophe Averted: Rookie Pasadena Firefighter Makes 1st ‘Save’

A new Pasadena firefighter revitalized an old trope when he rescued a cat that had become stuck in a towering tree on Friday morning.

“Dodger” the cat made his way high into the tree on Worcester Avenue and realized he was out of his league, according to city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian.

Firefighters responded about 9:15 a.m. to help free the feline from its precarious perch, she said.

Rookie Firefighter-Paramedic Gary Raphael ascended a ladder to retrieve the animal, she said, securing his “first ‘save’” and rescuing the cat from “certain peril.”