Town's Power 'Cut Off' in Epic Kitten Rescue Operation

This cat's Hogwarts-inspired name was aptly chosen—she certainly doesn't fear heights. After Gryffyndor managed to find herself atop a live electricity pole, a town in Britain had to turn off its power in order for the cat to be taken down safely.

According to a BBC report, residents in Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire experienced an unexpected power outage on Saturday because of Gryffyndor's outdoor adventure. She is believed to have been stuck on top of the 32-foot utility pole for eight to 10 hours.

Gryffyndor's mom, Verity Edwards-Flaherty, told the BBC she realized something was off with the beloved family cat when her food bowl was left untouched that day. At around 8:30 that night, her son Connor alerted his family that the cat had gotten herself stuck on top of the nearby power pole.

Realizing that the pole was too tall for her ladder, Edwards-Flaherty called the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, which had to deal with the exposed high-voltage wires.

"The firefighters all have metal ladders, which could have conducted electricity and caused a huge risk to them as well," she said in a statement to the U.K.'s Metro newspaper.

"So we had to wait and sadly turn off half of Stow's electric to get her down safely. But they all seemed to be very understanding of the need to do it, so we were very grateful for them as well," Edwards-Flaherty said.

Indeed, Western Power Distribution confirmed that about 100 neighboring homes experienced a sudden late-night power outage during the cat rescue.

"Our engineers were called out...after a report that a kitten was stuck at the top of a pole," a spokesperson for the company told Newsweek. "We [turned] off power to around 100 properties in the Stow-on-the-Wold area at around 12:15 a.m. for around 15 minutes for allow the kitten to be rescued safely."

Once the power was turned off, a firefighter was able to quickly grab the cat and bring her back down safely. A spokesperson for the rescue team told the BBC that the fire rescue team left the scene shortly after midnight.

Edwards-Flaherty later posted video of the nail-biting rescue to her Facebook page. In the video, a fireman climbs a ladder up the pole with the power shut off. He then offers Gryffyndor a few reassuring pats before taking her into his arms and bringing her down to the ground.

The video ends with Connor rushing over with a blanket, thankful his cat is safe.

"Video of Gryffy getting rescued by electricity board last night...apologies for any of our neighbours in [Stow] who had to have a power cut to get her down safely!" Edwards-Flaherty wrote in a caption to the video. "[Five] firemen and [three] electric board men for a little cat.

"They were all amazing, [as were] our neighbours for tea, concern for Gryffyndor and support for Connor who was so worried about her," she added.

Viewers were amazed by the brave rescue—and did not seem too bothered by the loss of power. "What a team," one friend commented. "OMG, that must have been terrifying for all concerned. Glad she's okay," another added.

In the comments section, Edwards-Flaherty added a photo of a sleepy Gryffyndor, writing, "All safe snoozing indoors now."

Edwards-Flaherty told Metro that Connor is the most relieved of all to have the cat back home. "My son has got anxiety and she's one of his well-being animals, so she's very precious to us," she said. "She actually goes to school in the car with him if he's worried.

"She doesn't really go out anyway—she spends most her time on the radiator—so we'll try and keep her on the radiator more from now on," she joked.

Newsweek reached out to Edwards-Flaherty and the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service for additional comment, but they did not respond in time for publication.

In Texas last month, a brave bobcat managed to get itself stuck on a utility pole. It was trapped there for two days before local officials were able to shut off power and safely bring it down.