Firefighters in Virginia have rescued a man who got stuck in a tree while trying to retrieve a cat.

The Virginian-Pilot reported Friday that the man was trying to rescue a feline perched on a limb in Norfolk.

The man climbed past the ladder he had used and ultimately went about 50 feet up the tree before getting stuck.

Firefighters brought him to safety within 30 minutes. And because their gear was already deployed, they used their ladder truck to rescue the cat, too.

Norfolk Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Harry Worley stressed that cat rescues are "not something we normally do."

But Worley said the cat's owners were very happy and thankful. And the man who got stuck was "relieved to be back on the ground."