Hook runs Getmeowtahere – Cat in a Tree Rescue, a free-of-charge service based in Columbus, Ohio. On a recent call, however, the intrepid, tree-climbing kitty saver may have met his match.

Her name is Spice — fittingly, as Hook soon learned.

Turns out, Spice had scaled a large tree in front of her family’s house and was having trouble making it down on her own. For three long nights, she remained in that spot.

That’s when Spice’s worried owner, Alexandria, decided to call Hook for help.

After gearing up and scaling the tree, Hook discovered just how spicy Spice could be. And as footage from the rescue shows, things then took an unexpected turn:

“It’s always my goal to not inflict harm on an animal. I was prepared to put on my heavy leather gloves and extract Spice from the hole. [But] it would’ve been traumatizing for the cat,” Hook told The Dodo. “When Alexandria stated that she wish she could get up there that she knew Spice would let her grab her, that seems like the least harmful option.”

In the end, it was Alexandria who saved the day.

“Alexandria geared up and made the save in true hero fashion! I would have been mince-meat had I put my hand into the cavity that Spice was hiding in,” Hook wrote. “Great save by Alexandria, it was a pleasure to assist and witness her courageous rescue effort!”

With any luck, Spice has learned her lesson — that what goes up must come down, one way or another. the dodo