The rescue of John Dear. Photo courtesy of Alanna Patterson.

When a cat named John Dear spent days stranded in a bur oak in rural Iowa, tens of thousands of people on Threads, the social-media platform, began bracing for a bad ending.

The cat’s owner, Theresa Klimesh, had already exhausted nearly every option she could think of. “It looks like we’ll lose our cat that is up a tree now for 7 days,” she posted on April 24, 2026. “No one can get him down because he’s up 40 ft. … He cries at us and can’t get back down because of the angle of the trunk. So sad, he’s a 2-year-old, very nice kitty … Anyone have any idea we haven’t tried???”

She had climbed a ladder herself but couldn’t get high enough. A local tree service had attempted the rescue using a bucket truck, to no avail – big equipment is often too loud for such tense moments. The local fire department was reportedly considering blasting the cat from the tree
with a high-pressure hose.

Then Minnesota arborist Dakota Deringer, founder of Kota Tree Care and Cat Rescue, heard about the situation through Alanna Patterson, who does cat-rescue work in St. Paul. “She had heard about me a few months prior,” he explains, “and had filed my information away for a rainy day.”

After reaching out to the cat’s owner to confirm the details, he commented that he was on his way. “Arborist out of Minneapolis here,” he posted. “I am gearing up and heading your way. Be there around 3pm.”

What followed became an unexpectedly viral story, with strangers around the world refreshing their phones for updates as Deringer drove three hours from Minneapolis with climbing gear packed into his car.

For Deringer, the decision felt simple. “I’m just the guy who knows how to climb trees – and I like cats,” he says.

A familiar kind of emergency

Deringer has been rescuing cats for about 10 of his 13 years as an arborist. He estimates he’s completed more than 250 successful rescues, and does not charge people for the service. “I don’t do it for the money,” he says. “If I can reduce human and animal suffering, I’ll do it.”

Most rescues happen quietly. “Usually there’s an audience of three,” he says. “It’s myself, it’s the cat and it’s the cat’s owner.” But this rescue was different. Deringer says there was a moment during the drive when he realized how many people were emotionally invested in the outcome. “It was just a flood of people asking for updates,” he says, adding that he told himself he couldn’t fail. “You can’t tell thousands of strangers on the internet that the cat jumped or is no longer with us.”

By then, John Dear had spent more than nine days in the tree and had climbed up to a tricky spot. “The rescue ended up happening at about 55 feet,” Deringer says. “He was only on about a two-and-a-half-inch-diameter branch.”

Dakota Deringer. Photo courtesy of Annie Matheson.

When they reached solid ground, the cat was dehydrated and exhausted, but alive. The sense of joy and relief was immediate and seemed to ripple across oceans.

“It is 6:45am in Portugal and you have made my morning! You have a kind heart,” wrote the_lilyrosa. “Hello from the English countryside! Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity this morning,” added sashawilkins_. “This cat-owning Threader in Singapore thinks you’re a hero,” wrote helen_barclay56. “May your business thrive after such a spontaneous and selfless act. We’re all in your corner now.”

Locally, the feeling was one of pride. “MN undefeated in the court of public opinion rn and I’m loving that for us,” wrote rlpalapala. “You better consider what would happen if every Thriend in the Twin Cities who needs an arborist decides to call you bc I know I will.”

A very particular set of skills

Deringer sees cat rescue as part of a broader skill set already familiar to many arborists. “We’re uniquely positioned to solve complex problems at height,” he says. “This is just another element of that.”

Rescue work requires many of the same instincts tree crews already rely on daily: assessing structures and risk, moving carefully through the canopy and staying calm under pressure. The difference is that the “client” is at the end of a branch, on edge and unpredictable.

Deringer says successful rescues often depend more on patience than speed. Cats frightened by noise – like well-intentioned bucket trucks – or sudden movement can climb farther out onto unstable limbs or refuse help entirely.

“Take it really slow,” he says. “Gauge the temperament of the cat. Call out in a reassuring voice. Food can signal you’re there to help. Basically, act like it’s someone’s family member out at the end of a branch.”

For companies that are interested in offering this kind of community -minded service, Deringer suggests discussing a plan internally, identifying staff climbers who are comfortable with animals and stocking some basic supplies, including bite-resistant gloves, rescue nets and treats. “There’s tons of overlap between how to do tree work safely and how to do a cat rescue safely.”

Conclusion

Maple (now Pepper) is an
abandoned cat Deringer rescued who was later adopted. Photo courtesy of Dakota Deringer.

The viral story brought a surge of attention to Deringer’s tree care company. He says estimate requests jumped roughly 300% in the days following the rescue, and people across the country began recommending his business online.

The experience highlights something many successful businesses understand: People remember how they’re treated during stressful or emotional moments, whether their cat is stuck in a tree or a tree has come down on their house.

And for Deringer, the rescue offered the public a view of arborists as skilled climbers, problem solvers and trusted responders when people need help most. “So many people have commented, ‘I didn’t think about arborists being positioned to do this! Who would have thought?! I love tree guys!’ In a weird way, I feel like I’ve changed people’s understanding of what an arborist is. I hope it brings positivity to our industry and what it is that we do on a daily basis.”

Esther de Hollander is the director of editorial & content strategy at TCI Magazine. To learn more about offering this service, check out the Cat in a Tree Emergency Rescue directory, an international network of cat-friendly arborists, at catinatreerescue.com.