Midnight Comedy

Last night at 12:45 we heard a scraping/crashing sound and then a cat meowing. It was the kind of meow cats do when they are in trouble. Investigation revealed no cat in the baby's room, our first guess, so I checked the balcony. The situation in the next set of balconies was gripping. Our building is three condos high and two across. The lower condos have patios with fences, the upper condos have balconies with railings. One could number them 1, 2, 3 with 3 being at the top. From our top most balcony (3), I could see the cat who lived directly across from us (3) on the edge of the balcony railing of the condo below (2). Its owner was standing on the fence of the lower most patio (1) and attempting to "talk down" the howling kitty. The cat's name is Spazzy. I offered my flashlight but the man was adamant that I turn it off. He clearly was set on rescuing the beloved feline. After assessing his options, he began the climb. How quickly our building can be scaled is a little disturbing. So he made it up to the balcony (2) and embraced the cat who quieted down in relief. But there they were standing on the outside of the railing on the second story. The man and cat were stuck. I considered that the man didn't want me there watching him, but in the event he would fall I thought I should be ready to run in and get...my camera. Just as we were discussing his options (my lending him a blanket to carry the cat, or him climbing down to knock on the front door of condo (2)) the resident of condo (2) appeared from within, no doubt woken by the strange goings on. There was this man standing on the outside of the balcony holding a cat. "Hi. I was just out walking my cat." The man from condo (3) did his best to explain his dire straights and requested that he be allowed to pass through condo (2) to safety. But how could he climb the railing while holding the cat? So he asked the man from condo (2) to hold the cat meanwhile. "Oh, no." "He's declawed." "I don't think so." "Hmm. Okay." So the man from condo (3), who truly loves his cat, risked his life and made his way over the railing, cat in tow. Spazzy. Awesome.