It's a tale as old as time. Cat goes up tree, cop climbs tree to save cat. Cop get stuck in tree, firefighters must save cat, cop.

Yesterday in Bayside, Queens, NYPD officer Dane Natto responded to several 911 calls about a cat stuck up in a tree (it was across from a school that was letting out). Natto had set up cones on the ground around the tree, and even let a flare burn, but he was soon surrounded by elementary school students who watched as the cat repeatedly bounded away from Natto, even higher into the tree.

“When the officer went up, the cat moved farther away from the trunk . . . There was no way he could get it,” a witness, Jeff Yu, told the Post.

“We looked out the window, and we saw the cop inside the tree — sitting,” said another witness.“[His] partner was laughing at him,” they added.

After getting a good laugh, Natto's partner then called for FDNY assistance. But at first, the dispatcher didn't exactly understand what assistance was needed.

When firefighters did arrive, “they didn’t go straight to helping him,” a witness said. “They all gathered around and laughed at him. They took their time just crowding around. It seemed the officer was enjoying himself.”

After making fun of the officer, who seems like a pretty good sport, the firefighters used a ladder to save the cat first (as is firefighter code) and then the police officer.

[Shutterstock]