Lucky The Cat Rescued From Tree At Paterson's Great Falls

PATERSON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A cat named Lucky is recovering at an animal shelter after he was rescued from a tree high above Paterson's Great Falls in northern New Jersey.

Animal control officer John DeCando said he heard meowing when he walked out of the shelter on Monday. He got a pair of binoculars and spotted the cat.

Firefighters arrived and DeCando rode a bucket ladder to reach the cat.

DeCando said the gray tiger-striped cat didn't hiss or scratch as he reached out to him.

"When we got up there close up to the cat I thought the cat maybe would've jumped or something and if he did he probably would've broke his back, but the cat just waited for help," DeCando told 1010 WINS.

He believes Lucky fell from the edge of a cliff at least 60 feet above where he landed.

"The cat was all bones when we went to get him so he was up there for a while and if he wasn't calling for help we would've never known," DeCando told 1010 WINS.

The cat will be available for adoption at the Save the Animals Rescue Team No. 1 shelter in Elmwood Park.

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