On Thursday January 2, 2025, firefighters intervened on the roof of the Saint-Michel church in Gaillac (Tarn) to rescue a cat that had been stuck for five days. Unable to bring it down, the residents, concerned about the animal's state of health, demanded intervention from the authorities.
A cat that remained stuck on the roof of the Saint-Michel church in Gaillac (Tarn) for five days was finally saved by the firefighters this Thursday, January 2, thanks to the intervention of a basket, reports France 3 Occitanie. He jumped 25 meters before fleeing.
The story was relayed on January 1 on Facebook, where a post quickly garnered more than 350 comments. Many Internet users wondered about the absence of firefighters in the early hours.
Rescuing animals, a mission of the firefighters
The Matras law, adopted on November 25, 2021, officially recognizes the protection of animals as a mission of firefighters. Around half of the SDIS (Departmental Fire and Rescue Services) in France now have structures dedicated to this type of intervention. But, the firefighters only intervene in the event of proven danger to the life of the animal, whether it is a serious fall or a significant injury.
For cats stuck at height, the situation is more delicate. According to the fire department's website, these animals generally come down on their own, and intervention is not always considered necessary.
In the case of Gaillac, the emergency services waited a legal period of 48 hours before acting, in order to give the cat a chance to descend under its own power. Finally, with the support of the municipal police, the firefighters were able to carry out the rescue.
A difficult rescue
From the start of the week, rescuing the cat proved difficult. Alerted on Monday, the municipal police tried to intervene, but access to the roof of the church was particularly dangerous. A municipal agent, mounted on the attic, had to abandon his mission, unable to reach the animal, according to our colleagues.
The town hall, which did not have the necessary equipment, feared an even longer delay in rescuing the cat, fearing having to wait for the resumption of renovation work on the church scheduled for January 6. This solution could have put the health of the animal at risk.
The intervention of the firefighters with a basket finally made it possible to save the animal in complete safety.
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