Cat safe at home after three nights on top of pole

RENO -- After spending three days and three nights stuck atop a telephone pole, a 4-year-old cat is safe back home.

Sam was reunited Saturday with owner Alexandra Charchalis after Sierra Pacific Power Co. worker Stewart Douglas rescued him.

Charchalis said her cat probably was fleeing from a dog when he got stuck atop the pole Wednesday and could not find a way down.

She said she looked for Sam every day, but didn't learn he was on top of the pole until Saturday's rescue.

"He's sleeping, but he's doing good. He's a little dirty," she said after the rescue. "He likes roofs (and) I hope he just stays on roofs."

Neighbors thought the cat eventually would come down on its own, but phoned for help Saturday when it became apparent the animal was stranded.

Earlier Saturday, an effort by animal control officers to knock the cat off with a long pole failed.

"A bunch of us held blankets to catch the cat, but that cat wouldn't let go," neighbor Dorsey Thomas said.