'Cat in a tree'

Cat in a tree

joe (152.163.36.84) -

My cat is stuck up in a 150ft tree what should i do?

Comment #1 Bill (152.163.39.200) -

Wait. Cats don't need the fire department to get them out of a tree. Go inside forget about your cat. Before you know it will be in your lap again.

Comment #2 KateyBate (66.227.233.47) -

Wow! Where do you live that you have a 150 foot tree? Our cat gets up as high as ten feet or so at times and always gets back down.

Comment #3 endora (24.45.126.104) -

LOl. Yeah seriously if he got up their he knows how to get down. I never understood that whole thing on why people would freak out about the cat in a tree. I had one cat that used to climb the roof and meow for hours up on it.

Comment #4 Cat Magnet from Catlandia -

The people are afraid of being in a tree, so they think the cats are too.

Comment #5 catlike from home -

Gawd, you people really don't know A THING about cats, do you? You certainly don't know anything about rescuing them. So why do you insist on posting a reply to this serious message???

For your information, as a very experienced animal rescue worker, I can tell you in no uncertain terms that NOT EVERY CAT WHO CLIMBS A TREE KNOWS HOW OR IS ABLE TO GET DOWN AGAIN!!! In particular, kittens usually don't have the experience or courage to climb down and will often wait until they're too weak to hold on any longer (& therefore fall out of the tree) rather than attempting to make the descent themselves. Even adults can get themselves stuck in positions & at heights that they don't feel comfortable descending from. Add to that the fact that animals (any animal, including humans) get dehydrated, starving, & stressed VERY quickly - and in doing so, lose both their wits & their strength. So, without decision-making skills or physical prowess, and while scared out of your mind, how keen would YOU be to climb down from a 15ft or 150ft tree?

Listen, since I sincerely hope that Joe has gotten his cat out of the tree by now (6wks later), I'm going to say this for anyone who's ended up here looking for help: 1) Find yourself a can of wet food (or, better still, some freshly cooked bacon) and try to lure the cat down, 2) Call the humane society, fire department, wildlife/pest removal companies, & your local tree-pruners and find out who's willing to help you get the cat out of the tree, 3) If the tree isn't too big, use the longest ladder you can find to get closer to the cat (& to offer it food up close) while making sure not to scare it further up the tree, 4) Call local no-kill rescue organizations & see if they can send a humane-trapper to help catch the cat somehow, 5) Keep looking for ideas & suggestions online, 6) Call the local media & see if they'll pressure the fire department etc to rescue the cat, in exchange for a great local-color story & a happy ending, 7) NEVER assume that the cat will come down itself.. and, if you can avoid alarming it, check on it every couple hours to see if it's still stuck (start worrying around hour number five), 8) NEVER GIVE UP!

Good luck.

Comment #6 lily from deep south -

I hope by now the cat is out of the tree. Most people don't realize that cats sometimes get nervous once they are up so high. Especially the kittens. Sometimes they will manage to come down on their own. The one I did have would get stuck every other month but after an hour of yelling it would usually come back down.

Comment #7 Kimmy from inside my igloo...brrrr -

Like my father use to tell me. "Don't worry it will come down, have you ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree?"

Comment #8 Whiskers from Guest Room Bed -

For all you smart asses who think the cat will come down, do you actually own cats? I own four. They all have very different personalities. One is very curious so she wants to see what's up high, but she's TERRIFIED of heights. Oh boy, the scratches I got getting her down off a closet shelf. I can't imagine if I had to get her out of a tree.

Whiskers is skittish. Whiskers might run up something but she's too afraid of everything to possibly get herself back down. What's worse about her is she'd probably be so scared of any rescue efforts that she might jump away and get hurt.

Turtle and Tori are Torties and fearless. LOL!

The best way to avoid a cat up a tree is to keep your cats inside.

Comment #9 snowy from Wisconsin -

There is no need to attack the posters who say that the cat will come down. Cats are natural preditors and they WILL get hungry eventually, and will figure out a way to get down. They have claws and they have them for a reason.

Yes I do agree about cat owners keeping their cats indoors.

Comment #10 snowy from Wisconsin -

Oh I also wanted to add that I do have cats and have had cats all my life. Yes- they do have different personalities. I use to let my cats outside when I lived out in the county. (I had them spade and neutured)- now I live in the city and don't want the risk of having them get hurt so I keep them inside.

Comment #11 Linda (168.212.252.62) -

I just went through a very sad experience with my cat which was stuck in a tree. He got out and ended up at the top of a broken off fir tree with few branches. I read everything I could. I was told to wait a few days and he might come down. I tried to persuade him with food - no luck. I finally found a tree trimmer who rescues cats and hired him to come to our rescue. He tried. He climbed the tree (cat was about 60 feet up) and attempted for about half an hour to get ahold of the cat to rescue him. Our cat wanted no part of it and fought back with swipes of the claws and growling. The cat eventually went out farther on a branch and fell to the ground. He was severely injured and I had to have him put down at the vet. I do not think he would have ever come down on his own. The tree trimmer told me he HAS actually found skeletons in trees so that is a myth.

Comment #12 Kimmy from inside my igloo...brrrr -

I'm so sorry to hear about your bad experience. I guess anything can happen. I just have never had my cat get stuck up in a tree.

Comment #13 James Holben (68.112.50.171) -

I read this blog looking for tips. My wife and I have several dogs and cats. One in particular, an eight month old black and white spayed female by the name of Cricket. She has been an inside cat since my wife rescued her from a tree as a kitten. LUCKILY it was a small sapling and my wife only suffered a small bite from Cricket, who was scared out her wits at the time. (Obviously some heartless individual had dropped her off in the night and the poor thing took refuge in the sapling. Last night Cricket's curiosity got the best of her and she darted out the backdoor and would not come back inside. This morning we awoke to her meows and found her about 20 ft up a hickory tree in our front yard. After much coaxing, we realized she was too scared to come down. (the tone of her calls and uncontrollable shaking was our first clue) I went and got my 10 ft extension ladder and leaned it against the tree. Climbing to the top and grasping branches, I got to within a few feet of the cat. Repeated coaxing was to no avail. She wouldn't budge. After surveying the path I would need to take, I went to the garage and retrieved a saw and returned to the tree. It was necessary to prune a few branches to clear my way, climb off the ladder and onto the tree. Within a few minutes I reached the cat and was able to allow her to smell my hand. I talked to her and coaxed her a bit and she managed to get close enough for me to grasp the loose skin at the base of her neck and I basically dragged her to me. I held her until those razor sharp claws retracted a little bit and proceeded to make my way carefully back down the ladder. Happy ending. NOTE OF CAUTION. I would not recommend just anyone attempt this. I have years of experience in construction climbing ladders and scaffolding. Not to mention the trees as a young boy raised in the country. The main thing to remember is safety. For both you and the animal. Strangers attempting the rescue should wear tight-fitting leather gloves. Know that fear will overrule any feelings of love the animal may have and it will cling to whatever it can to prevent itself from falling. So bad if that happens to be your arm, or face, or anything else it can sink it's claws into. Once you grasp the animal, stay still for a bit, hold it, and allow it to calm before you begin your descent. P.S. I told Cricket she owes me big=time and better stop digging in my fern.

Comment #14 Kt (76.22.92.93) -

My cat is stuck up in a tree

he is about 40-50 feet up

he has been there for aout 2 and a half days

and it is cold with snow flurries

i have tried the food

i have tried opening tuna

the fire deparment is no use

and the tree places arent answering

or calling me back!

i cant believe he is up there

it is the scarriet thing ever

we have been yelling at him

and trying to coax him

but nothing seems to work

but i think i will cook some beacon

and maybe that will work!

thanks for all the help this has been.

Comment #15 ANNA (71.127.95.192) -

HELP! my kitten is stuck in a pine tree. we tried the pole trick and a ladder will not stay with the branches. My cat is scared and he is about 50 ft up! please he is small enough to get eaten by an owl or racoon! please

Comment #16 Marla (4.246.57.123) -

Ok, my kitten of almost one year, is stuck in my neighbor's fenced in yard. The bad thing about this is that there is a dog involved in this story. I am very worried about this small black and white kitty. I am waiting for my neighbors to get home so that they can let me near the tree and keep the dog away. Any insight is appreciated. She has been up there for a little more than 2 hours.

Comment #17 racquel from ok -

I understand...

Ive had several raccoons get up a tree and not be able to get back down.. luckily it was not a 150 foot tree..

im not sure how you would get it down.

Comment #18 dawn (24.30.242.35) -

My cat was stuck in a tree tonight about 20-30 ft. up. My husband and I attached a rope to a large mesh laundry basket and put food in the bottom. Then I climbed a little ways up the tree until I could swing the rope over a branch near my cat. (A rock tied to the end of the rope makes it easier to swing, just watch out for the cat.) My husband caught the end of the rope and raised the basket up to the cat. She jumped in and started eating as he lowered her down.

This worked well for us, I hope it helps someone else. If your not careful, it may just scare the cat further up, but it might be worth a try if nothing else works.

Comment #19 tracy (66.189.12.252) -

my neighbors found a cat crying 30 feet in there tree, have tried the rope and basket , leaving food at the bottom of tree its been a week , no one wants to help we've tried everything any suggestions? the cat looks ill its been 85 and humid can it die of starvation?

Comment #20 Kelly (4.242.171.32) -

catlike from home! i love you post my kitten is turing a year old but is a runt and looks like 7 month old. She has been stuck in a tree for more then 5 hours try 1 1/2 days and 1 night! she is taller then 40ft since we live in a forest. We will try youtr tips but we tried food she is 2 scared to come down and we asked around town and no1 will help.Her b-day is coming up friday and we bought her sme toys to play with and i don't want her to miss out!

Comment #21 Kathy from Millbury MA -

OK, this is SERIOUS. THERE ARE NO CAT SKELETONS IN TREES, because they DIE and FALL OUT DEAD!!! We had a Cat (unknown owner) in our Tree from 7/20/07 (at least that's when we noticed SHE was there). I called EVERYONE I could - My Town (Town Selectmen, Police, Fire, etc.), ASPCA, MSPCA, Animal Rescue League, Humane Society, Vets, Tree People, ETC., ETC. starting on the following Mon., 7/23/07 & every day after... NO ONE COULD/WOULD HELP and Most said SHE'LL come down. The Town Animal Control Officer said the same (when her hunger overcomes her FEAR, she'll come down) - this was on the 6th OR 7th day in 85/90 Degrees & HUMID. I cannot tell you guys how extremely frustrating and distressing this was to me, my family, my neighbors... THERE IS NOTHING MORE HORRIBLE THAN STANDING BY & Watching AN ANIMAL DIE THIS WAY - Starving, Dehydrating, & CRYING FOR 9 DAYS. We picked her little RIGGED BODY off the ground Sat. at 8 AM (7/28/07) and buried her with a nice stone in my yard (I also planted flowers). After this HORRIBLE TRAUMATIC event, I felt relieved that we could finally put a period, but I must tell you - I am still so upset & can't get over this happening. IT WAS JUST GROSS & UNECESSARY - please do not DONATE TO any of these GROUPS (they have TONS of $) - FIND OUT WHAT IS USED FOR.....because this INCIDENT was not on their AGENDA!

Comment #22 janet (66.31.243.74) -

The message from Kathy in Millbury broke my heart. I came across this website in search of a way to rescue my cat 30 ft up in a tree. She has been up there for over 4 days and lost for 2 weeks prior to this. She had attemted to get down as I coached her but had almost a fall since her claws are very thin(she is a 5 lb cat). This scared her and she didn't make any further attempts. She cried for the 4 days through 97 deg temp, 59 deg temp and pouring rain. Anomal resue, police and fire dept offered no help.

I was so upset as I could easily see the same fate as Kathy's cat. What a horrible ordeal for an owner and family to go through, not to mention the cat.

My daughter came home last night at 7 and asked if she had come down. I said no. She said she had had it and said she was going after it. She climbed the tree (scarily) and made it to the area where the cat was. With some coaxing with "Fancy Feast", her favorite treat, she timidly began to eat and knew that rescue was there. She is not one to be held, however let my daughter pick her up. My daughter put her in a pillow case and relayed the cat to a neighbor who scaled the tree to meet her. The cat was rescued. She was so happy to be home, you could see the joy as she purred and butted her head against me.

What an ordeal for 4 days, I can't imagine getting to the point where the cat dies in the tree. So for all the "know it alls" regarding cats in the tree, I would like to see them up 30 ft. with limited abilities to get down.

Comment #23 jane (207.69.140.25) -

My little cat (about 2 years old) loved to climb trees and seemed particularly good at it. However, yesterday she fell suddenly from the height of about 2 stories while I was watching. She landed on her feet but had blood gushing from her nose. She's now in a cat ICU unit awaiting surgery on her palate. The vets call the injury "high rise syndrome, " as it usually happens to cats who fall out of poorly screened windows. This has been expensive!!! I am wondering if anyone else has had experience nursing a cat with this injury back to health?

Comment #24 Kathy from Millbury MA -

I am HAPPY, Janet (& your family), for your cat!! And, Jane, hoping your little baby gets well and lives a good life... I cannot believe I have another SAD story that happened about 2 weeks ago. I'm not sure about the rest of the U.S., but we have (in MA) a lot of Coyotes (and an abundance of ALL Wildlife like never before - too little space left due to houses everywhere, ban on certain trapping methods, etc., etc.). We have seen almost everything in our backyard (2 1/2 acres). We found a Cat bitten in half right beyond my tomato plants in a clearing in the middle of the afternoon!!). Obviously, I must have scared him away (without knowing it) - since the carcas was not yet eaten. As we are knowledgeable in Wildlife, we know it was a Coyote and not their fault - this is NATURE. There are so many incidents now - they are trapped in alleys in the city and shot, bears in trees in the city shot by police because no one knows what to do, etc., etc. I NOW CRINGE seeing Cats in my yard enjoying themselves, doing what they do - I can longer advocate them running FREE. I no longer feel "guilty" about de-clawing/fixing my Cats and keeping indoors. They are happy, healthy, & spoiled. At present, I have had enough TRAUMA for a while... Kathy

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