SHELL BEACH - Cal Fires crews rescued a man who fell off a cliff in Shell Beach Friday evening.
It happened at Capistrano Avenue and Ocean Boulevard.
Cal Fire says a 43-year-old man fell about 25 feet down a cliff and onto the beach below.
It took crews about 45 minutes to get him back up to the street.
He told rescuers his fall was the result of a different rescue attempt.
"He had been drinking," said Cal Fire Capt. Rick Howard. "His statement was, he was up top with his cat, his cat got too close to the edge, he tried to grab the cat, but he slipped himself and fell."
The man complained of head and neck pain and a cut on the back of his head.
He was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.
