Kitten was STUCK in tree :(

[carlthecat]

Hello, 

I let my kitten (8months) into the backyard and went to load the dishwasher and when I came back outside about 15mins later I couldn't find Carl in the backyard. We have really high fences surrounding our property and there is no way he can get out... so I got worried. 

Know before I get a bunch of comment regarding his safely... please understand that we had the fence custom built so that Carl couldn't get out and I don't leave him outside alone with checking on him ever 15mins. Carl is up to date on all his shots and I've kitty proofed the backyard. I understand that keeping him as a indoor cat could increase his life but I don't but him into danger. Seeing my kitten run in the grass and roll around in the leaves is PRICELESS!!

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• carlthecat
• Oct 22, 2013

story con't... I kept hearing him meow but couldn't see him and I was freaking out at that point. When his cries got louder I near the tree I looked up and couldn't believe how high he got. He was double the high he normally goes and where he was standing there wasn't any surround thick branches for him to climb down. OMG I was so scared and was just looking up at him while he started at me and cried

Then he stretched his front paws to a branch and tried to bring his back paws but they wouldn't reach and at that point he couldn't go back... so he dropped. It was like he was committing kitty suicide. I screamed and they he just rubbed against my feet. Carl seems fine but I will ask the vet to double check him during his next visit. 

Carl goes up the tree sometimes but he has never gotten that high up. I'm thinking maybe a dog was on the other side of the fencing barking and Carl got scared. But then again this is the same cat that laid down on the side walk when our neighbors (no quite 100% aggressive) dogs got out. So Carl might have been exploring? 

Please anyone tell me if there is something that I can do to the tree to stop Carl from climbing it. I will call our contractor tomorrow to see if he can thing of creating something that isn't ugly. Like this... do you think that cone would stop Carl?

Cat Tree.png

• carlthecat
• Oct 22, 2013

 

[gardenandcats]

Just a piece of sheet metal wrapped around the tree a few feet off the ground would work..Just make sure its a couple of feet Vertical  your kitten can't get his claws in sheet metal so he couldn't climb

 

[jcat]

Carl is one lucky cat to have a yard like that!

One of our members, @Carolina , has a cat-proofed tree in her cat-proofed yard and might be able to advise you. What you've drawn there should work. We used to have an old e-collar for large dogs around a tree in our yard to keep cats from climbing it, and it worked (though it looked pretty horrible :lol3

You might also be able to find something in a garden center - perhaps a large "squirrel baffle", "tree collar" or "cat deterrent"; there are all sorts of names. My husband usually makes a sort of "cuff" out of chicken wire for trees where birds have built nests. He uses a long piece, attaches it to the trunk with zip ties and then bends the bottom up so that about 10 inches are horizontal.