ORANGE, Calif. -- A 27-year-old Orange man fell to his death from a 50-foot Italian cypress tree as he attempted to rescue a cat, the Orange County Register reported Thursday.

Video: OC Man Dies Saving Cat

Scott Buehler climbed up the tree about 1 p.m. Wednesday to save the cat, which had become stranded in the prickly branches of the tree at Meats Avenue and Nordic Street, near the Village at Orange, Orange police Sgt. Dan Adams told the newspaper.

Buehler managed to grab hold of the cat, but lost his grip and fell to the sidewalk below.

Firefighters were called to help Buehler, but it was too late. Paramedics from the Orange Fire Department pronounced Buehler dead, according to the newspaper.

The cat fell to the ground with Buehler, was taken to an animal care facility in Orange, treated for minor injuries and returned to its owner, Leslie Meader of Animal Care Services told the Los Angeles Times.

The Orange Fire Department does not respond to cat-in-tree calls because of safety concerns and it takes a unit out of service, Capt. Ian MacDonald told The Times. MacDonald advised the public not to climb a tree to rescue a cat.

"It will come down on its own and you won't have to take a risk to your own safety," MacDonald said.