Any advice on how to get a cat out of a tree??!

Hey Guys and Gals,  I've got a dilemma and I'm hoping someone on here has some experience or good advice for me.  I went outside about 8:20am this morning to let my dogs and cats in/out and whatever from the garage before starting work and I noticed some crows squawking loudly in the nearby trees in my yard.  I ran them off and noticed something black in the very top of a tree.  Upon further inspection, I found that it is a small-ish black and white (appears anyway, from 30-40 ft. below) cat up in the very top of this tree.

That was over 5 hours ago and I've been out there about 5-6x so far since then with food, a toy, calling,etc. etc.  Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned, but I can tell that it is young and scared, by the way it is positioned precariously over a small branch.  It is winter here in the midwest with high winds today so trying to call it has been difficult and it is so high up, it's hard to look straight up for very long.  It's also very dreary and cold out, so I can only stand being out there for so long before I have to come back in to warm up.  I've worn my coat inside all day to get warmed back up and be ready to run outside if I see it start to come down.  I've got all my other animals inside, so it isn't scared by anyone or anything and there is really nothing that should keep it scared or up there, as I live out away from others and the only sound you can hear is the wind.

I was going to take some tuna out, but because the winds are so strong, I know there is no way the smell is going to get up to the little guy/gal and I'm not even sure it can hear me when I call for it.  At one point, it did meow a few times at me, but it seems like it might be too scared to move.  I have a 6 foot step ladder, but this cat is almost at the very top (like 2 ft. shy) of a smallish tree with no low limbs to even get started on.

Does anyone have any ideas or recommendations?  My bf can bring an extension ladder home from work, but that will be hours away (after dark) and even then, I'm not sure it will reach or work.  I hate the thought of this poor little thing being stuck out there any longer, since who knows how long it was up in the tree before I discovered it, but it couldn't have hardly picked worse conditions to be under in this situation.


(Sorry, not sure why it posted the pic sideways...the cat is the black speck in the top center of the photo)

Call the fire brigade, they are extremely experienced with this sort of thing. 

moorspede said:

Call the fire brigade, they are extremely experienced with this sort of thing. 

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Good luck with that in America. They flat out refused to come out for me.

A few years ago I had the same situation. I saw the cat on my daily walk & he was there for at least 3 days. Animal Control got involved and paid a few dollars to a kid who shimmied up the tree & safely brought the cat down. I have also been told that eventually any cat will come down, but I don't know how true that is.

I'm out in the country and all we have is volunteer fire departments, so that's not really an option.  That, and I'm not sure a big bucket truck could even get into this area with all the trees and if they did, they'd make a huge mess of my soft yard.

Primula said:

Good luck with that in America. They flat out refused to come out for me.

A few years ago I had the same situation. I saw the cat on my daily walk & he was there for at least 3 days. Animal Control got involved and paid a few dollars to a kid who shimmied up the tree & safely brought the cat down. I have also been told that eventually any cat will come down, but I don't know how true that is

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Wow, 3 days?!!  There's no way we'll let this little one be up there that long, and if the branches weren't so spindly up where he's at, I'd climb up there and get him myself, but in the wind and being alone, I'd rather wait for back up.  I just feel so bad for this little guy/gal because they aren't even sitting on a branch, but rather lodged between a Y shape, so I know it's not comfortable to be up there precariously waving around in the wind.  In the past, when I've had two other cats show up in trees, I was able to call them down, but it was under warm or calm conditions, not a blizzard, less the snow, like it is today.  Having to yell to be heard probably isn't very inviting for it to come down. 

Primula said:

Good luck with that in America. They flat out refused to come out for me.

A few years ago I had the same situation. I saw the cat on my daily walk & he was there for at least 3 days. Animal Control got involved and paid a few dollars to a kid who shimmied up the tree & safely brought the cat down. I have also been told that eventually any cat will come down, but I don't know how true that is.

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Yeah I don't think they do that anymore. 

I doubt Animal Control would do anything either. Possibly a wildlife trapper or something similar?

Cats are pretty adept at getting themselves out of sticky situations. It's possible that he/she will find his/her own way down

ETA- Adding this link http://www2.catinatreerescue.com/view/faq.cfm

I hate it when cats do this it's very tough to watch. I don't think anyone can climb there. He's going to just need to take the plunge himself. I would put lots of can of tuna around the base of tree and maybe something to cushion the fall if he goes the wrong way and plunges straight down. Usually they reverse the path the take but sometimes they can't. im not sure what you can put directly under him to cushion the fall.

Funny thing was when my husband, me, and Animal Control all turned up, turns out the cat's owner lived in a ground floor apartment next to the tree. She was the one who told us the cat was stuck for 3 days. I lived on the other side of town, but came back every day to check on the poor thing. His owner could care less.

WhatsOneMore said:

Wow, 3 days?!!  There's no way we'll let this little one be up there that long, and if the branches weren't so spindly up where he's at, I'd climb up there and get him myself, but in the wind and being alone, I'd rather wait for back up.  I just feel so bad for this little guy/gal because they aren't even sitting on a branch, but rather lodged between a Y shape, so I know it's not comfortable to be up there precariously waving around in the wind.  In the past, when I've had two other cats show up in trees, I was able to call them down, but it was under warm or calm conditions, not a blizzard, less the snow, like it is today.  Having to yell to be heard probably isn't very inviting for it to come down. 

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Sometimes cats are so dumb. Good luck with this and let us know. What you don't want is the cat to get spooked & go higher into the tree. I think eventually it will come down by itself.

A tree trimmer will come out (if you pay them) but if you don't want a bucket truck in your yard that might not work. Do you ahve a very long piece of lumber? If so, set it against the tree and secure it somehow, this will help the kitty have something easier to hold onto.

hexiesfriend said:

I hate it when cats do this it's very tough to watch. I don't think anyone can climb there. He's going to just need to take the plunge himself. I would put lots of can of tuna around the base of tree and maybe something to cushion the fall if he goes the wrong way and plunges straight down. Usually they reverse the path the take but sometimes they can't. im not sure what you can put directly under him to cushion the fall.

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More than likely this cat was dumped and possibly was even an inside cat, which could account for why it's acting as petrified as it is and has gone up as high as it can in this tree to where it Y's for the last time.  It is also young.  The wind has been cold and brutal today and it is supposed to get down to freezing tonight with the same conditions tomorrow before getting even colder.  I don't have any outbuildings that it could get into if it did make it down on its own and leaving food out isn't an option now because after being locked inside all day, I finally had to let my dogs out of the garage for a bit and the cats have been inside sleeping all day, so they are ready to go out for their play/exercise/hunting or whatever they do out there.  Every time I go and call to this cat, my whole gang follows me, and the food I left out for it earlier has been eaten by one of my dogs.  I can put the dogs back in the garage after a while and they'll be fine, but the cats will tear stuff up if they don't get to come and go as they please.  Luckily, it was so cold and blustery today, nobody cared to go out and they all just pretty much slept inside all day, but even so, this little cat never budged, let alone came down and ate any of the food I put out. 

My bf is on his way home an extension ladder and I'm going to send him up the tree with a flashlight and some tuna, so hopefully we can finally make some progress. 

Willowy said:

A tree trimmer will come out (if you pay them) but if you don't want a bucket truck in your yard that might not work. Do you ahve a very long piece of lumber? If so, set it against the tree and secure it somehow, this will help the kitty have something easier to hold onto.

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I actually googled this problem a lot before I posted here, hoping to find something useful and what you proposed is what the internet said to do, but getting a bucket truck out here would be really costly since I'm 45 minutes from the nearest big city that would have that kind of equipment.  Also, since it rained a lot recently and has been above freezing, I'd be worried the truck would get stuck in my yard creating a whole other issue.  As far as the lumber goes, nope, all I have are odds and end pieces, nothing over 3' that would help.  This kind of thing NEVER happens at a good time, does it?  I was kind of expecting a newbie though, since I lost my last original rescue dog to cancer last month and this is how it has been the last four times.  Within a month of their passing or in one instance, an owner reclaim, someone or three someone's come into my yard and/or life.  

I'm hoping my bf, an extension ladder and a fresh can of opened tuna within 15 or so feet away where it can hopefully get a whiff will do the trick.  I'll keep you guys updated.  Wish us luck!

Hope your boyfriend has an LED headband light thing-y so he has both hands free. Maybe send him up with a sturdy pillowcase and a short piece of rope. Stuff little cat in pillowcase, tie it shut, tie pillowcase VERY SECURELY to his belt, and then he has both hands free to come down the ladder.

And do let us know how it all works out!

She's possibly stuck I was walking on leash a pitbull charged sent my kitty 3 stories plus a bit higher had 3 men climb she had harness so that helped them to 

carry her back down. Best thing make sure dogs are kept contained away from the tree. Firemen refused to help friends 4 ft iguana top of tree no assistance what so ever.

Can you search online or call for men who prune trees they have the equipment to get to where she is and may do it out of the Goodness of their hearts <3     

My heart goes out to both of you guys. It'll come down one way or another and it's
good you are there!!

If all fails call the local news TV station that will get some help fast! 

Or   Power Saw...

You need an ARBORIST, which is different from a tree trimmer. An arborist is a highly trained individual who climbs trees and determines what branches to trim. They specialize in the management/cultivation of trees. Anyway, they're trained to climb trees without trucks. They use ropes, spikey shoes and a lot of gear. If you call around, you might be able to find someone who will rescue a cat. I wouldn't count on the cat coming down. 

Good luck!!!!

check out: https://www.facebook.com/canopycatrescue/

Please let us know when he or she's out of the tree! I moved to a cookie cutter neighborhood with no tall trees, i think I'm glad now.

Yes, Canopy Cat Rescue is out in the Pacific Northwest, so they probably won't be much help, but an arborist might be. Also try painters and chimney people. They have tall ladders and might be able to get up there. A really wild thought is someone off-duty from a utility company who would have the people harness to get up the tree. I wonder if there is a local cat rescue that could help.

Cats won't come down trees because their claws curve backwards and won't give them any traction when they try to come down headfirst. If they would just back down, they could hold onto the tree safely.

Good luck to you.

Ugh.  Nothing is working like we'd hoped.  The first branches start at over 12 ft. and the diameter of the tree is so small that a grown person can't even safely climb it in these 15-25 mph winds and I'm not even sure it would be possible during the day for the right person with the right equipment.  We've calculated that she's about 35 ft. up, almost at the top where the tree is very small and even is growing at a bit of an angle, making the situation even more difficult.

We put some pvc pipe together to try to gently nudge the cat off the tiny little spot it's sat all day, but when you are holding a piece of 20 ft. pipe straight up in the air, while looking straight up, through branches and in those wind conditions, we just can't get enough oomph behind it to push him/her to the center of the tree where she can back down the trunk.  We also tied a little bit of tuna with juice onto the end of the pole and tried to entice him/her that way.  She smelled it, but was not interested.  It's hard to say if she's just too scared of being so high and in a strange place with strange people shining bright lights in her face or possibly she's just a vegetarian, but that didn't work either.

We've e-mailed an arborist, but in the meantime, he/she's not budging and we are out of ideas.  I hate the idea of leaving it out there, but we don't know what else to do for him/her tonight.  I'm still in disbelief that it's been up there at least 14.5 hours and hasn't moved at all.