SPENCERPORT, N.Y. — A Spencerport firefighter has been charged with torturing and injuring animals after an attempted cat rescue ended with the animal’s death.
The Spencerport Fire District was dispatched on Oct. 3, 2025, to help remove a cat from a tree. Video of the incident showed Firefighter Douglas McPherson using a hoseline, causing the cat to fall and suffer serious injuries, WHAM reported. The cat was euthanized the next day.
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Spencerport Fire District Chief Jake Bromage later criticized the tactics used by crews during the rescue.
“As a first responder, it’s very difficult to do these cases because we know that their intention is to help,” Lollypop Farm Humane Law Enforcement Vice President Reno DiDomenico said. “However, if the first responders’ actions go beyond their scope of helping or might go outside the line of taking action too far, then they need to be held accountable.”
In a statement, the Spencerport Fire District outlined changes made since the incident and referred to McPherson as a former member.
“The Spencerport Fire District is aware that the Humane Society of Greater Rochester filed charges against a former member for an incident on October 3rd 2025. The District cooperated fully with the investigation. We have revised our standard operating guidelines and implemented additional training for all personnel to ensure appropriate tactics are used in similar situations moving forward. The District will not comment further on a pending matter and will respect the legal process.”
If convicted, McPherson could face up to a $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail.
How would your department have handled this call? Do you believe the charges are justified?
FireRescue1 readers respond:
- Fire departments should decline requests to help remove a cats from trees. The cat is in no danger and will come down when it gets hungry.
- We wouldn’t. Cat got up, cat will get down.
- Seriously?! They tried. The Humane Society should be charged for wasting taxpayer dollars by filing unnecessary charges. Here’s a thought...teach the public to stop calling 911 for cats in trees! They aren’t stuck; they just don’t want to come down! Any firefighter who has ever had to try to get a cat out of a tree knows how dangerous it is for them.
- First of all: what put the cat where it was, what was tried before this, was the cat stuck or just up the tree, was this an outside cat or inside or both? If the “reason” for the cat being up the tree has not left, remove the reason, and it will mostly come down on its own. Was it higher than someone could get to safely, or was there laziness involved due to the “work that needed to be done, which would go back to any SOP/SOG? An outside or combination cat most likely has been in multiple trees with no issues. An inside cat that got out might be a different story. Biggest take I think, should be to make sure all possibilities are discussed as a crew, and none of the “hey y’all, watch this, I’ll get that cat down.” 99 times we are ok, but it’s that 1 that will always get us. We should always be thinking about that 1. We are not immune to mistakes; we just need to make sure we can live with the consequences of them.
- We had a situation where the cat was up a high and narrow tree. It was unsafe to use a ground ladder because of the support on the tree and we could not get an aerial unit to that location. We explained that the cat would eventually come back down by itself. But the owner was desperate to get the cat back down and was afraid of it spending the night out there. With permission of the property owner, we used a chain saw and notched the tree and cut the tree to create a slow and gradual drop. The animal rode out the falling of the tree and jumped free when the tree was about 5 feet from the ground. The animal ran to the house and was unharmed. But unfortunately, the next day the cat went back up a different tree near the other one. We mutually decided that we would wait until it came down by itself, which it did.
- You ever see a dead cat in a tree? Nope, they will come down when they get hungry. Leave them alone, 23 years in fire service.
- I have yet to see a cat skeleton in a tree or on the ground.
- If an animal is not injured, it will come down by itself when ready !! If injured, find a way to get to them and safely remove it!
- Bad judgment, but he doesn’t deserve to lose his job or be put in jail. He was actually trying to help. I’m not sure why people are so into blaming other people and taking their aggressions out on them ridiculous.
- Fire departments should decline requests to help remove a cats from trees. The cat is in no danger and will come down when it gets hungry.
- At Miami-Dade, we didn’t respond to cats in trees. Look up, have you ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree? They come down on their own.
- It is not the fire departments’ responsibility to remove cats from trees. However, the fire dept should have a SOP for any call like this. I feel the charges should be dropped and the firefighter put on a 30-day suspension, followed by a period of probation and additional training.
- Have you ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree? Lift assistance is out of control! Everyone should charge. The thing that really bothers me is the nursing homes and assisted living calling the FD! What are people paying for 🚓🚑🚒
- I have seen where tree removal companies may have trained employees who can climb a tree and rescue cats.
- We would never allow such a practice. And he deserves what’s coming to him. You would to wonder what he would do to a human being. Not to mention what the community must think of their fire department.
- Charges are absolutely justified. I hope he receives the maximum punishment. What a pathetic excuse of a firefighter.
- A very good reason not to attempt to get any animal out of a tree. Just what supplies will be carried on these electric bikes? Without rear fenders, any gear carried on the back of the responders will be very dirty by the time they can reach the patient!
