Sometimes what seems like a good idea at the time doesn't quite work out the way you pictured it.

For example, when a firefighter in Spencerport, New York, was called in by a frantic owner to rescue a cat from a tree and all the usual methods like ladders drove the cat higher in the tree, he thought, "Wow, that's really high. There's got to be a better way."

So, he got some people to stand under the tree with a blanket, and then cranked up the water cannon on top of the fire truck to spray the feline out.

And it worked, sort of.

On the video, you can see the utter disappointment on the rescuers' faces as the cat goes flying out of the tree — in the wrong direction.

The cat did not survive, and that's why the firefighter now faces charges for torturing and injuring an animal under section 353 of New York State Agriculture and Markets law. It did not die on impact, as you can see from the video.

News10NBC reports,

‘The issue was, is that there comes a time sometimes that we've done all we can. What is another option? Instead of trying to force an issue,' said Reno DiDomenico, Vice President for Humane Law Enforcement.

‘And that's one of the biggest things in this. It has to be an unjustifiable act. And that's why he was charged because of the unjustification. In other words, he didn't have to spray it with a hose. You have to use common sense and figure out the best way to help something without causing a potential injury,' DiDomenico continued.

The investigators asked for a misdemeanor charge since it's clear the firefighter was trying to help.

He'll likely face a fine, but he also lost his job with the fire department.

Maybe he should have used a laser pointer to get the cat down?