ELMHURST — A cat named after Dorothy from the "Wizard of Oz" was rescued by firefighters after spending at least three days stuck high in a tree — and now she's looking to put down roots in a permanent home.
Local animal advocates noticed the 1-year-old cat, dubbed Dorothy Gale, in a large tree across from Newtown High School on Dec. 17 and tried nearly everything to get her down, they said.
But it wasn’t until the fire department arrived three days later that the kitten was rescued.
Annet Artani, a singer/songwriter who runs Miney's Rescue of Love from her Flushing home, has been fostering Dorothy Gale for two weeks but wants to see her placed with a loving family.
“She is completely delightful,” she said. “She's a snuggle bunny, she's the sweetest, sweetest little cat.”
Artani and other animal activists noticed the kitten stuck in the tree about two weeks ago.
Mike Fremgen, an animal activist from Ridgewood, saw a post about Dorothy on Facebook and tried using a ladder to get to her. But he couldn't even reach the branches, he said.
Another activist "climbed the tree like freaking Spider-Man with a net in his hand," Fremgen said, but the cat still couldn't be reached.
"People were like, 'Oh this is just a cat-in-the-tree story," he said. "I was like, 'This is a no-joke tree.'"
Councilman Danny Dromm was alerted to the trapped four-legged constituent and he reached out to NYCLASS and other activists.
Finally firefighters from Battalion 46 arrived on Dec. 20 and scooped the frightened feline up with a net. The FDNY did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The dramatic rescue inspired the “diva” name, Artani said.
“The way that we found her — she's gotta have some sort of drama-queen type of name,” she said.
“She sort of came in like a twister, it was this big big production... It was just very over-the-top, ‘I'm here, rescue me.’ Like a little damsel.”
Dorothy Gale has all her shots and was spayed before she was found, but so far no one has tried to claim her, Artani said.
She's tried to get the word out with cute cat videos of "DG" wearing dresses and other costumes, letting people know how adoptable she is, she said.
"She's so friendly and so sweet," she said.
Those interested in bringing Dorothy Gale home can contact Artani of Miney's Rescue of Love at fonoula28@aol.com or 347-934-5707.
