Cat in tree, all ideas welcome!

Hi all, our cat has been chased up a tree again by the neighbours dogs, this is the third time this has happened, the first time we managed to get to him, but the 2nd time after him being up there 8 days we finally found someone with a cherry picker who managed to get him out, but this time he has gone about 60 feet up a tree that is in a heavily wooded area with absolutely no access for a cherry picker to get in there, he has been up there now for about 36 hours, we have tried everything from shaking his food bowl, cans of tuna, endless calling him and last night we put his best buddy in a crate at the bottom of the tree but to no avail, we cant climb the tree as there are no branches until about 30 feet up.
The poor guy is so scared that he has'nt moved an inch, please post any advice you may have, believe me we will try them all, thank you all and I will keep you updated on our progress, sincerly Jackie.

Where are you located? I know when one of our cats was chased up a tall pine tree by a visiting Jack Russell, we ended up calling a lumberjack, and he came with his climbers, and went up 30 feet or better and grabbed my cat. That would be my suggestion- call a logging company and see if they have any tree trimmers that can come out. The only other thing I can offer is spread soiled litter down on the ground under the tree and if that doesn't work try catnip as the scent might bring him down.


Good luck!

Im being a bit traditional here, but does the fire department really rescue cats from trees? I know they came and got my cousin out when he got stuck in a tree once when we were little. Might be worth a shot to call them?

Try a tree trimming company that does hand-trimming. They send their workers up a tree by climbing it, rather than using a cherry-picker truck. They will be able to climb the tree.

Good luck!

Hi, Just an update my cat is still in the tree, lightning and thunder expected today poor thing, we have tried all ideas in my power and unfortunately nothing worked but I thank you all anyways. This is a very timid cat and he isnt even so much as moving to another branch, I have called a tree trimming company and they will come retreive him when there work day is over, thanks again to everyone, I'll let you know how it goes.

You might if you have some catnip around, let the rescuer rub it on his hands, if the cat is scared and timid, the catnip will help to attract him to the rescuer. The worst part is bringing the cat down, make sure the gentlemen knows to scruff him tightly. I have seen cats spring from the rescuers arms and leap to the ground! I hope it all goes well for this poor cat. Mike is always telling me when I get upset that a cat is in the tree, that he has never seen a cat skeleton in a tree in his life. Not much comfort when your baby is so far off the ground and terrified.

When you feed him, make sure you add a lot of broth or water to the canned food, he is going to need the fluids.

Poor Baby! I am just now reading this thread, please let us know an update as soon as you have one. I am praying he makes it down safely.

Please... update this and let us know what happens...

For the sake of trying anything...and possible future problems I would try a clicker, like those used for training dogs. Cats, as I have come to learn, HATE that sound. If he's up there scared, maybe the annoying sound will chase him out. I know he's tortured enough, but sometimes obnoxiuos works best. I can't help but think of Ani Difranco's quote, "Every kitten figures out how to get down, whether or not you ever show up"...but an 8 day record is definitely something to argue against that idea...

I echo the catnip on the hands!

GOOD LUCK!

Once you get him down could you put one of those cone things around the tree to keep him from climbing it again? My mom uses them to keep squirrels out of her bird feeders. What my dad did was get a big piece of sturdy plastic that is flexible enough to bend around the tree, so that its open at the bottom and snug around the tree at the top. (like a lampshade) They can crawl up to that, but can't get around it. Looks kinda like this :http://www.doublebarrel.com/bird/squirrelproof.htm

Another possible thought: give the person that climbs the tree a large pillow case and have them put the cat in there before climbing down. The cat won't like it, but better there than jumping from his arms to the ground.

Geez, I forgot the most important thing. It's a given really, but take this poor kitty directly to the vet once he is in your arms. Just put him in a carrier and GO!


Best of luck!

Hi all, sorry it took me so long to update you, we finally got him down on thursday, after hours of standing at the bottom of the tree shaking his food etc... he made his own way down, whew he finally knows how he was very thirsty and hungry but seemed much happier just to be sleeping on the couch lol, but then today the dogs chased him again, not up a tree this time, after this our neighbours finally come over and said they will try to keep there shepherds in there own yard, thank you all for your great ideas most of which we did try and im sure all cotributed to the final result, thanks again Jackie

jrd1234...you may also want to build fencing around your yard to discourage the dogs from chasing your cat. It is also recommended to encourage your cat to stay in your yard and not venture too far:

http://www.catfencein.com/index.php

Here is a do it yourself version:

http://www.feralcat.com/fence.html

Katie

Glad to hear your cat is okay and out of the tree !! Whew !
My cat got chased up a tree once by 2 stray dogs and it took
1/2 and hour for him to come down and that was the longest
1/2 hour of my life. This was a dead tree that all the branches
had been cut off so he was just hugging the tree holding on for
dear life trying to come down but kept hitting the branch stumps
and would stop. OY.

In addition to the cat fence idea, here are a couple of more ideas
to keep your kitty safe.

Build/Buy an enclosed cat run / outdoor cat house.

Train your cat to walk on a figure eight cat harness but never
never leave them tied to anything and never leave them alone
while they are in the harness as they could get tangled up and choke.

Keep kitty inside. Everyone I spoke to who had outdoor cats convinced me
that my kitty, (who first lived totally outside for the first 7 months of his
life as he was born outside and then was an inside/outside kitty for the
next 6 months) could become an inside kitty and that is what he is now.
In the beginning I felt guilty, but now as I see the cats that have been
run over by cars, and the ones that are roaming around looking very sick,
and the ones that have been in cat fights and look horrible, I know that I
made the right decision for me and for him. He is a very happy cat as I
have gotten many toys for him and rope/tree climbing houses and he loves
his laser light !! I may someday, depending on where I live (I rent right now)
may build him an outdoor cat run/cat house so he could enjoy the outdoors
safely, but for now, he has become accustomed and seems to be very happy
and secure being inside.
Good luck with your kitty. PB

It sounds like you need a very low pressure bb gun (the kind that would not break the skin by any means but would hurt) to teach those dogs a lesson.

Please do not not not use any kind of a bee bee gun on anyone
or anything including those dogs !