HELP! Our cat is stuck up a tree!

[BLEW911]

After 6 hours we called the fire dept. They came out and basically said all they could do was squirt her down with the fire hose. We have left her food and water and try to coax her down every few hours. She moves around on a few branches (all the same height) and meows a lot. After 12 hours the fire dept came again (dear wife is beside herself) and said they didn't want hose her down , she could fall and hurt herself. Duh.
It's now been 36 hours and she is still about 40 feet up a pine tree. We did try to poke at her with a long pole but she went higher.
Vet has said after 3 days dehydration is a real issue and something must be done. My plan now is just to wait and see if hunger overcomes fear in time.
OK experts, who has experience here.Any suggestions? Just waiting is hard on Mari.
Thanks, Don

[Racerbvd]

Get a latter, a canvas bag and wear long sleeves & gloves. Have some Friends with a sheet in-case the kitty does fall to catch her.

[typ550]

I had this happen once years ago. After the cat was up there most of a day, I called the Fire Dept and was told they couldn't do anything. I ended up getting either the power or cable company (can't remember which) to come out with a cherry-picker and get him down. Tipped the driver and that was that.

[pwd72s]

Another option is to check your local yellow pages for an "arborist". These guys are amazing...they use climbing gear to take a tree down from the top, remove a broken limb, do whatever is required. It may cost ya, but a trained arborist could have your kitty back to you in no time. Now, you need to ask yourself...what made your kitty want to climb that high? Suspect #1 would be a neighbor who lets his dog out at night, no leash, so the dog can crap anywhere but at home...Seen any dog crap on your lawn lately? Food for thought.

[BLEW911]

Don't have any acess to a 40' ladder or I already would have done that
and
the tree is not accessable to vehicles.
good ideas though, any more?

Where would I get a ladder that size? The firemen said they only had 24' but weren't going to grab a scared cat anyway.

[lisa_spyder]

Call your vet? Hopefully they will have some magic way to get kitty down without harm...

Marksman with tranquiliser dart and a large trampoline to catch kitty...I can't think of anything else - sorry .

[austin552]

A few years ago I let my inside cat out back. A cat down the street came over and spooked her up an apple tree. I put on a long sleeve shirt and made the climb. The tree was full of bugs. Worse the flood light I carried, fell and broke. So I was up a tree as high as the house covered in weird bugs with a cat on my shoulder freeking out in the pitch dark. I felt my way down the tree and dropped her when I could go no lower. I can laugh now but G.D. that was some sht!! What some guys will do for a little pussy...

[Racerbvd]

Originally posted by BLEW911
Don't have any acess to a 40' ladder or I already would have done that
and
the tree is not accessable to vehicles.
good ideas though, any more?

Where would I get a ladder that size? The firemen said they only had 24' but weren't going to grab a scared cat anyway.

Home Depot might rent them, if you were closer to me, I'd bring mine & help you.

[rick-l]

Put the ladder up in the tree to get the cat. Get halfway up and the cat pisses on you after 24 hours without going.

Grab the cat with gloves and it is calm but then freaks out. be careful

[Burnin' oil]

.22 to get it out and 12 ga. to get it on the way down.

[rick-l]

I didn't read the 40' part. A 40 foot ladder isn't going to cut it.

Sanity check...
There is no way I would go that high for a cat. It spooks me out to even climb a ladder that is not agianst a building.

I watched an arborist trim trees around here. He climbed the tree with spikes and the had a rock climbing like harness to work/ get down. Not sure how wild he will be about chasing a cat around up there.

[mattdavis11]

It'll figure out how to get down.

[red-beard]

Go to a rental shop and rent a 48' ladder. Tie it down as you climb up, since it will be pretty straight up and down. Use leather gloves since the cat will be spooked. Also, wear ver thick clothing, since the cat will be gripping you all the way down.

One time I had a cat go up a tree and the ladder didn't quite make it. I created a lasso machine with a rope and a 2 inch plastic pipe. I drilled a hole in the side near the cat end, tied a knot, left a loop coming out the end, and the string down the middle. You pull on the string and the lasso tightens. Not exactly nice for the cat, I brought it down. It gave me about 6-7 feet more, which is all I needed.

[Moses]

I've never, ever seen a dead cat in a tree. I gotta think the cat will find a way down.

[Jim727]

As long as you are below it and reaching for it chances are it will try to go higher. I would contact these people: 661-269-4010 ~ www.deltarescue.org Don't know if they have the resources to do phone assists, but they are terrific people.

[BLEW911]

If she dosent make it down by tomorrow pm I will try tree trimmers first then try to rent a ladder. I'll check back tomorrow. Any more ideas? Tomorrow Am will be 48 hrs, still a ways to 72. Thanks all.

Don

[slodave]

You get the ladder, I have a climbing harness. I'll go up the tree.

Dave

[HardDrive]

*quietly LMAO at humans running around like twits over a cat*

[nota]

we lived on a sailboat and had a cat

one day we came home and found the cat up the alloy mast on the spreders
the only way we could figure it got up there was to climb up the halyard a less then 1/2 inch rope
and why it went up we can only guess a bird

hungry cats climb down or jump
cats survive long jump/falls without harm
try food and catnip to bait it down

[Brian Cameron]

8 days in a tree. 80 foot fall. No problem. Look here