#CongressStCat: Social media follows rescue of cat stuck on Portland building ledge

A Portland firefighter stands by as a cat rescued from a Time & Temperature Building ledge is reunited with its owner. (Photo by Jim McCarthy)

A Portland firefighter stands by as a cat rescued from a Time & Temperature Building ledge is reunited with its owner. (@JamesMainebiz photo)

Nothing thrives on social media like a cat.

This is what happens when old fashioned, small-town-type news intersects with 21st century news distribution methods.

Veteran Maine journalist and MaineBiz senior writer Jim McCarthy was out for a walk in downtown Portland when he came upon what he called “this moment of drama” at the recognizable Time & Temperature Building.

@JamesMainebiz (red circle added to locate the cat)

@JamesMainebiz (red circle added to locate the cat)

A black cat was stranded on a ledge on the building and Portland firefighters were on hand for the rescue.

Like any good 21st century journalist, Jim pulled out his smartphone and began chronicling the event on Twitter.

Inside the building, Portland Phoenix Arts and Culture Editor Francis Flisiuk was doing his best to help the cat — trying to coax the frightened feline into a mail crate held out an open window — and posting about his own efforts on Facebook.

Jim watched — and photographed — as the firefighters raised a bucket to the ledge, grabbed the cat and lowered the animal to street level, where it was reunited with a woman who appeared to the owner (photo above).

An audience of concerned onlookers gathered along Congress Street to learn about the fate of the all-of-a-sudden famous cat. At the time of this posting, it was unclear how the cat got stuck up there or what its name is, but the feline certainly attracted a crowd.

@FrancisFlisiuk

@FrancisFlisiuk

The cat reluctantly agreed to go with the nice firefighter, and as Francis Tweeted:

cat rescued

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.