Local heroes save the day after woman with horrible eye sight reports a cat stuck in tree

Local | 2025/03/17

CHEHALIS, WA – It was just a normal Sunday morning for Gretta VanWinkle, a 72 year old Chehalis native, as she was heading down Kennicott Rd on her way to church.

“Every Sunday morning I take my motorized scooter, that I got from Mobility Plus, to church. This Sunday was no different”, said Gretta.

As Ms VanWinkle cruised her motorized scooter down Kennicott Rd, at speeds of up to 12 mph in the car lane, she was minding her own business as usual, when all of the sudden she caught something out of the corner of her right eye that stopped her, and her motorized scooter, dead in its tracks.

“At first I thought it was a bird, but as I got closer I realized that was not a bird! It was a cat!” Explained Gretta. “I began to scream for help, and that's when the community pulled together.”

Neighboring locals heard Gretta's screams and ran to her aid, but after realizing that she hadn't fallen and did not need assistance getting back up from a fall, authorities were called and Tyler Rentals sprung into action, quickly removed the animal from the tree and handing it to Ms VanWinkle.

“Tyler was such a fantastic young man”, Gretta said while holding her new pet.

While we tried to explain that Tyler was not the young mans name and that her new pet was a suspicious looking cat, the smile on her face was a reminder of a quote once heard long ago.