The law of gravity suggests that what goes up must come down, but that law does not seem to apply to cats, and so on Monday in Northwest Washington one that had gone perhaps 50 feet up a tree was stuck there.

A D.C. fire truck was sent to the alley in the rear of the 800 block of Marietta Place, where, by all accounts, the cat had spent the night in its lofty perch, the fire department said.

How it got up there is not difficult to figure. Cats are good at climbing up. But, experts in feline anatomy and psychology will tell you that they are not good at climbing down.

Their claws are not shaped to facilitate head first descent. Once aloft, most cats seem to have the sense to stay there.

It was not immediately clear what sort of cat was involved. It appeared to be a tawny brown and white, and seemed like a relatively ordinary looking animal. But it seemed to be in more than the ordinary amount of trouble.

Someone recognized that the treed cat on Marietta Place was a cat in need. The fire truck that was dispatched had a long, telescoping ladder. At least four of its sections were extended to reach the cat.

The department also deployed another important asset--Firefighter Matthew McIntyre, who the department said was attached to Truck 11.

After reaching the cat, he slowly began the descent. At the top of the ladder, it was one arm for the cat, and the other to push away tree branches.

Once clear of those, the climb down became a little easier. Perhaps some credit should also go to the cat, who seemed content to to be draped over McIntyre’s forearm, and refrained for the entire time from biting, clawing or scratching.