"baby" rescued, woman ticketed

[Shamrock]

Woman Claims 'Baby' Stuck In Sewer
Police Cite Cat's Owner For Filing False Report
December 1, 2005

HOUSTON -- A woman was issued a ticket for making a false call for help when firefighters respond to rescue her baby but end up pulling something else out of a northwest Houston sewer, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.

Houston firefighters rushed to rescue a baby from a sewer on Bolivia Boulevard near De Soto Street at about 11 p.m. only to find a cat instead.

Police said a woman called the fire department three times about her cat being stuck in a sewer.

Authorities said on the fourth call, the woman claimed her 2-year-old baby was stuck in the sewer.

Firefighters responded to the scene and rescued the cat, which is named "Baby."

"They said they were desperate, didn't know what else to do. They didn't know who else to call, so they called 911," Houston Fire Department Capt. Keith Ellery said. "It is not a type of rescue we normally do … but on this particular incident, we felt compelled to kind of help them out."

Carearl Malone, the woman's son, said he and several friends tried rescuing the cat.

"We had some cheese. We had a shirt and a chain to try and get him out. It didn't work. It grabbed onto it and then it let it go," Malone said.

The woman tried to explain herself to police but they still issued her a ticket for filing a false report, a Class B misdemeanor in which the woman could be sentenced up to six months in jail.
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Though calls to emergency services are never to be taken lightly, I think this is a bit harsh for what was a misunderstanding.
But, cheese? ...
Wouldnt tuna or sardines have been a bit better bait for Baby? Pounce?

[Prin]

What are you supposed to do? If they don't come when you say it's a cat, how are you going to get him out?

[CyberKitten]

I think the police need a sense if humour. She should have called the media or tried the local firefighters who mostly don't rescue cats in trees anymore but this was different.

[Roxy's_MA]

If the cat's name is baby and he/she is two years old. Technically there is nothing false about what she said.

[Roxy's_MA]

A friend of mine called the fire dept (volunteer in our rural area) to rescue her bf's cat out of a very tall tree. They came and did it, but she had to make a donation, and they did tell her they don't normally do it.

[catsnatcher-CDN]

I'm normal and have common sense. If noone's life is put into danger, I'd lie to save my cats too.

If she called several times before, it sounds like lying was her last resort.