Who do you call when a cat is stuck in a tree? Free Modesto service will answer
If a cat or other small animal gets stuck in a tree, whom do you call?
A new Modesto nonprofit was founded to answer that question. VARS - Volunteer Animal Retrieval Specialists was established in July by trained tree climber Dauki Willburn and his girlfriend, Jessica McGlothin.
“All I’d ever known growing up is if a cat’s stuck up in a tree, you call the fire department,” Willburn said. “If I can take some of the weight off of them and make it to where they have more time to allocate to what they’re best at ... that looks like a win-win for the entire community.”
Willburn was raised on the Round Valley Indian Tribes Reservation in Covelo before his family moved to Oregon when he was around 11 and then to Turlock at around age 19.
His first job was for a telecommunications company, climbing poles, and he’s been in the tree business for around a decade in the Modesto area. Along with being CEO of VARS, he owns Dauki Willburn’s Tree Service, based in Modesto.
“I was climbing trees even as a kid on the reservation, with no gear or anything like that, just because that’s what we did for fun,” Willburn said.
He said his first cat rescue, in 2019 while working with a tree service, was a learning experience. He’s conducted around 130 total since, six of those with VARS.
“I risked myself a lot on that first rescue because I was untrained and just overly confident to rescue the cat,” Willburn said. “It got my feet in the water and made me realize that it was a mode of giving back that I’d never thought about but could never turn away from.”
VARS came to fruition for two reasons, Willburn said: a “very obvious need” and motivation from his girlfriend.
Seeing numerous social media posts about cats stuck in trees for days at a time, Willburn said he realized there was a gap he could fill. He volunteered his time and efforts when he could, but McGlothin saw how much more help he could give with funding and a platform.
VARS received tax-exempt status from the IRS a month after applying.
Where do donations to VARS go?
Now that the nonprofit doesn’t have to pay taxes on donations, Willburn said he hopes to afford a blanket insurance policy to give people peace of mind when he’s climbing trees on their property.
“Even now, it’s nice because we’re able to fill out release-of-liability waivers and make it to where everyone knows exactly what’s happening and it’s not just some guy showing up with this tree-climbing gear and everyone praying that it’s going to go OK,” he said.
Because of donations, VARS has fuel costs covered for the next 11 cat rescues, Willburn said. VARS offers it services up to 100 miles from Modesto.
The nonprofit has a GoFundMe account to help cover the costs of fuel, keeping the phone and website active, replacing equipment and climbing gear when necessary, handling the compliance costs required to operate as a nonprofit and supporting community outreach efforts so people know who to call when an animal is in trouble.
It also accepts Venmo, @VARSModesto, and donations through its website at varsca.com.
How to request service from VARS
Willburn was described as a “cat whisperer” to The Modesto Bee in a conversation with his former coworker. The coworker said Willburn is very successful in rescuing cats and is the person you want to call for help.
“I just give them the time of day,” Willburn said. “I talk to them like they can really hear me or understand me, if you will.”
He said he gets better with each rescue. Willburn watches the videos from on-the-ground recordings and his GoPro footage so he can perfect his approach.
Willburn is the only climber with VARS. The only other employees are its co-founder and secretary, McGlothin, and treasurer Joseph Pecora — a friend of the couple who lives in New York.
“We needed someone third and impartial that was used to telling me no,” Willburn said. “We’ve got a little overhead with our virtual office (at 931 10th St., Post Mailbox 234) and no set donations coming in ... so he keeps us level.”
VARS’ first and only volunteer so far created the nonprofit’s website, where people can submit a request for service, learn what the retrieval process entails and how to prepare for a safe rescue.
Requests can also be made via email at Info@varsca.com or by phone at 302-827-7669.
Willburn said the reward of a safe cat rescue means more than money to him. “I’m free,” Willburn said. “No one can pay me enough for this.”
This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM.
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