Cat lives to meow about 80 foot fall from tree

'Piper' hits the ground running after surviving eight days out on a limb

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updated 8:57 p.m. ET April 5, 2006

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. - The family of Piper the cat, who fell 80 feet from a tree and lived to meow about it, says they thought Piper had cashed in her nine lives after her remarkable fall.

“Yeah, we did,” Scottie Colvin said Wednesday on ABC’s Good Morning America” with her husband, Rodney, their two daughters and Piper by her side. “Our first initial reaction, I don’t know, was yelling for Rodney to catch her, and then oh, that’s not a good idea.”

Piper was in the tree near their house for eight days before falling. The tawny cat escaped unharmed, receiving only fluids for dehydration and ibuprofen for stiffness.

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A cameraman from WCSC-TV in Charleston on hand to record the attempted rescue captured the fall on video, and Piper quickly became a celebrity.

On Monday, a rescuer started up to save her. But Piper got scared, and crept away until the limb beneath her snapped. She twisted and turned in the air before slamming onto the ground. But she wasn’t even dazed, scampering off before anyone could catch her.

“When she hit the ground running, we knew it was OK. She kind of bolted and we found her in the wheel of a car that was in our neighborhood so it was really cool,” Scottie Colvin said.

The family had previously tried several methods to lure Piper down. They hoisted a basket with tuna and used a bow and arrow with string to try to coax the cat.

Eventually, gravity did the trick.

The Colvins said the cat doesn’t really like all the attention — and they hope Piper stays grounded.