Good Samaritan rescues cat stuck in Rohnert Park tree for six days

This is a story of how powerful a community can be.

It was a long week for Mia, a Rohnert Park cat who was stuck high up in a redwood tree at a Camino Colegio condominium complex for almost six days before being rescued.

The family who owned the cat made calls for help, including to the fire department, but were ultimately left on their own to rescue the animal, according to neighbor Belinda Dean Karl-Taylor.

Hearing that, Karl-Taylor got to work rallying support for the animal.

“I just could not sit by and do nothing,” Karl-Taylor said, who posted about the cat troubles on the Santa Rosa Firestorm Update Facebook group.

The post caught the eye of another neighbor, Kate Weber-Linhar, an Army veteran who said she's "not a good bystander,“ and often someone who tries to help others as much as possible. She

also took up the cat's cause, making phone calls looking for help and posting updates about the cat to Facebook.

Lucky for the neighbors (and the cat), Paul Derkos of Sebastopol saw one of her posts and reached out to help.

A former volunteer for the Humane Society of Sonoma County, he'd help rescue an array of animals, from kittens to macaws.

Derkos said that with the help of his son, Dylan, the rescue went off without a hitch, calling the cat "a peach."

“She was very much willing to help me get her down; we made really good friends right there, hung out for a minute, and she went in the bag” Derkos said. “I think that she was out of options. The people were all very calm, and that helps a lot."

Ultimately, this story had a happy ending - after six days of worry and a flurry of social media efforts, Mia the cat was back on the ground, safe and sound.

“The girl's father was very appreciative, and he invited me and my family, to dinner - he's a special guy,” Derkos said. “It feels good to have been part of it, and to be involved in your community.”