Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: EddceLLent on March 20, 2012, 22:35:09 PM
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Hey,
So i'm new here. I'm a 25 year old guy from the Midlands with two cats that are both about 18 months old. One of them, Pudding, is about the most anxious cat i've ever known and wont even go outside without someone with her. Her brother, Monty, isn't quite the same though - and recently he's had eyes for some magpies in a nearby tree. I got home from work today to find my Mum distressed after he'd got stuck halfway up a large fir tree.
The tree is pretty big but I think he's probably somewhere between 20 and 30 foot up. The problem is that the bottom part of the tree has recently had all the branches cut off and so it's not easy for him to get down (or for us to get up!). He's been up there for going on 12 hours now and naturally we're really worried. It's actually breaking my heart a bit hearing him "crying" and not being able to do anything for him :(.
We called the RSPCA and they suggested putting strong-smelling food at the bottom of the tree and leaving him alone to work it out for himself. They said to call back if he hasn't come down within 24 hours. Of course we will do, but it doesn't stop us worrying in the meantime...i'm actually that worried that I haven't had my dinner - and I never skip dinner!
Any advice? Reassuring tales of cats that've emerged unscathed?
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p.s. Here's a picture of him with his sister. Monty is the black one on the right. They don't normally sit together on the chair like that!!
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/eddcassels/Image0234.jpg)
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The fire brigade are pretty good at getting cats out of trees ;)
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:welcome: to Purrs, sorry it's at such a worrying time :shy: :hug:
I think you will have a job getting the RSPCA to come out and suspect even if you rang back tomorrow they would not be coming, same goes for the fire brigade - from what I've read they are reluctant to come out nowadays but still worth a call on the offchance.
That said the chances are that Monty will get hungry enough to overcome his situation and will get down by himself, if that doesn't happen then your best bet may be a tree surgeon. Not sure of costs involved but if you have an agricultural college nearby they may even have trainees that would do it for the experience.
Hope Monty is back down safe and sound ASAP, not trying to be flippant but you don't see many cat skeletons in trees so one way or another he'll get down I'm sure :hug: :hug: :hug:
P.S I'm sure you know it already but that's a beautiful pair of cats you have there :Luv2:
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Fire brigade won't come out speaking form 3 of ours stuck up trees for several days our savoiours have been tree surgeons and some fabulous OH Power cable guys
Tree surgeons will charge you if they are called out
We also now have extending ladders that go 30 foot plus due to our darling Baby Gorgeous
The smelly food can work sadly ours all kept climbing
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The only way I have heard cats coming down is as the others have said and that by a tree surgeon :hug: :hug: :hug:
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I hope poor Monty comes down soon :scared: Pudding must be really missing him!
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He's still up there... we tried to rescue him earlier with a ladder but he wasn't having it. We got about 3ft away but he kept getting distracted by pigeons. Maybe that's a good sign - he doesn't seem weak or anything and is still obviously more focussed on catching birds than being rescued!
I'll give a further update when i'm back from work (fingers crossed to tell you he had about 3 portions of dinner and is now asleep! ...and never going out again!!)
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Cats claws are designed to go up but not down so although they can manage a little way down, from a great height they are not likely to make it.
Take some action and get someone to get him down
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Find the telephone number (not 999) of your local fire station and ask them for help. Or you could get a long hose with a jet spray and see if that makes him try and come down?
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Or you could get a long hose with a jet spray and see if that makes him try and come down?
I'd be careful with the hose idea just because if he is at quite a height he could fall and injure himself. Phoning the fire brigade sounds like the better option ;)
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What about trying one of those very big water pistols I think they are called super soakers, if you aimed very carefully maybe you could manoeuvre him down - without drenching him and making him panic and jump or fall as you don't want any broken limbs, perhaps with someone else on the ladder to garb him when he gets within reach?
I assume you've tried rattling a packet of dreamies?
Good luck :hug:
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So i'm absolutely delighted to be able to say that at about 1pm today he finally came down :).
I was at work by that time but my mum said she was in the kitchen and when she turned around he was stood by the back door having a wash like nothing had happened. He went to sleep after that for a few hours, woke up and ate twice as much as he'd normally have for dinner, then went back to sleep again. He went out for an hour or so but didn't leave our garden (we don't have any trees luckily!).
He doesn't appear to be injured at all but he looks a bit haggard...like a couple of the whiskery things above his eyes (are they called whiskers too??) seem a bit out of place and his legs look a bit dirty.
What i'd say to anyone else in this situation is don't underestimate their ability to find a way out of it themselves. It's absolutely horrible listening to them yowling but give them time and chances are they'll find a way down. It's easy saying that now though, I think i'd have gone demented if he spent a second night up there!!
...and now for some photos :)
Here's a photo of the tree, you prob can't really see it but the red circle is where he was at the time
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/eddcassels/Image0461a.jpg)
...and here's a couple of post-rescue photos!
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/eddcassels/Image0463.jpg)
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/eddcassels/Image0464.jpg)
Thanks for all the responses, i'm so happy!! so relieved, and i'm going to sleep so well tonight :)
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Great news, glad he made his way down okay in the end ;D
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Awww and he's gorgeous too by the way!
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Glad he made it down! ;D Hopefully he will have learned his lesson and won't go up there again, but being a cat he'll probably do it on purpose just to worry you!
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Oh My! :-[ I can't believe I suggested a water pistol :rofl:
Thank goodness he's down,
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OMG that was very high and so pleased he didnt fall and hurt his handsome self ;D ;D
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So pleased he is back down safe and sound! :)
I've never been any good at visualising heights/distances, he was WAY higher than I had visualised - no wonder you were worried :hug:
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Wow thats quite a tree ;D! So glad this boys back home safe where he belongs! It must have been quite fun up there being able to see the world!
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Your post bought back memories. When Toby was about eighteen months he seemed to be stuck in our tree - had been up there about three hours, kept moving around and wasn't sure about coming down. Phoned my husband who reluctantly came home early from work to find Toby had found his own way down!
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glad he's back. was going to suggest a tree surgeon.
Judiths son is one and they have all the climbing gear.
perhaps you should think of chopping it down or put a collar round it to stop a repeat performance.
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The tree (which is in someone else's garden) used to have branches all the way down but then for some reason they got rid of all the branches on the bottom half - god knows why, I think it looks horrible now!
I thought about a tree surgeon (although I think we'd have given it two days before calling one) but guessed it'd be expensive. Wanted to give him every opportunity to come down on his own, at least then we know he wont expect to be rescued if he ever gets stuck up there again!
If anyone is in this situation and is really stuck, a good suggestion I read after googling "how to save a cat from a tree" was calling a local radio station and asking if they'll make an announcement on-air. Some people/companies might be willing to help if it's good PR for them!
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Aw so glad he's down. He's absolutely stunning they both are
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Here's a zoomed in view of the tree pic....you can see his eyes!! Poor little thing
(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/eddcassels/montyuptree.jpg)
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Poor thing let's hope he doesn't go back up there again
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:Crazy: :Crazy: :Crazy: Wow , what a tree !! Your boy is a climbing machine !!! Lornab .....LOL @ the water pistol suggestion ! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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:Crazy: :Crazy: :Crazy: Wow , what a tree !! Your boy is a climbing machine !!!
I was following this, but had no advice - I never imagined the tree to be so tall!!! Its looks more than 20-30 foot to me! Glad monty is home safe and sound :hug: :hug: