LEWISTON — Nobody was scratched, bitten or mauled Thursday morning when fire crews were sent to pluck a wandering cat from a roof on Bates Street.

Lewiston’s Engine 3 crew was sent to 336 Bates St. at about 10:30 a.m. after the cat was spotted 40 feet up on the sharply steeped roof, either unwilling or unable to come down.

Lewiston firefighters Lt. Rob Gayton and Pvt. Dennis Everson quickly set up an aerial ladder and made their approach.

When it comes to cat rescues, said Gayton, one never knows how they’re going to be greeted by the animal in question.

“Sometimes they scratch, sometimes they bite,” Gayton said. “This one was calm. The cat came up to my hand, sniffed it and I snagged him.”

The cat meowed all the way down the ladder, Gayton said. Whether that was out of gratitude or displeasure remained unknown.

Gayton suspects the latter, and a photo of the animal being hauled down the ladder seems to bear that out.

“The cat was less than impressed that his roof-top excursion had come to an end,” the firefighter said.

The cat was ultimately handed off to Chris Sanders, Lewiston’s new animal control officer, and efforts were underway to find out where the animal belonged.