Cat stuck in tree

I live in South Orange and have a cat (not mine) stuck VERY high in a tree in my backyard. I believe it's been there a few days. There is no possibility it can get down on it's own and the fire department will not help. I have left a message for animal control and am hoping to hear back this morning. Has anyone ever dealt with this problem or know of anyone that can help? It's about 50 feet up in the tree. Any tree climbers out there??

Oh poor cat. I wonder if a tree company might be able to help, either with a crane or without. It would be good to get the cat down before the storms later this week.....!! I can't believe the FD won't help, I thought saving cats from trees was their thing.

Would South Orange animal control help with this?

My understanding is that nobody has every seen a cat skeleton in a tree which leads me to believe that the cat will figure out how to come down when it has no other choices.

tjohn said:
My understanding is that nobody has every seen a cat skeleton in a tree which leads me to believe that the cat will figure out how to come down when it has no other choices.

I have the feeling that you have never seen a cat skeleton in a tree for other reasons...

We had a cat get stuck in a tree. I climbed a ladder to get him, and he moved up, out of reach. I left the ladder there, and he eventually climbed down it.

Good idea, Tom! Definitely worth a try if the ladder can reach any low branches.

If not -

http://www.nevadacounty.com/cat-stuck-in-a-tree-if-they-could-come-down-they-would

Per the above article, calling a tree service company is the best bet - one of their tree climbers may be willing to provide the service (likely for a fee, of course.). The article suggests the climber take a rope and a pillowcase, grab the cat by the scruff of its neck, quickly put it into the case and tie it shut, and using the rope, lower the cat-in-case carefully to the ground. Don't open the case until the cat is in it's home.

I suggest that if it is not a pet, that the cat be let out of the case in a pet crate that has been prepared with food and water. I'd leave it in the crate overnight to let it rest safely and get some good nourishment before it runs off in terror.

Also consider taking the cat to a low/no-cost neuter location before release if it isn't already neutered.

I Just had animal control here. The cat has been up there for several days and looks weak. Melanie from animal control (who is absolutely wonderful, by the way!) got in touch with a wildlife guy who is going to come take a look. His ladder is only 30 ft tho and this cat is at least 50 ft high. With the angle of the tree and the height, I don't see it coming down on it's own or surviving the fall. I think if it was going to come down on its own, given it's been there a few days already, it would have done so by now. I also found a guy who will climb up the tree for a reasonable price. I just can't see waiting for the cat to die up there. Poor thing.

Same thing happened in our neighborhood. Fire Dept refused to come. Neighbor went to the Fire Dept and begged. They showed up and got cat.

ertr2811 said:
I Just had animal control here. The cat has been up there for several days and looks weak. Melanie from animal control (who is absolutely wonderful, by the way!) got in touch with a wildlife guy who is going to come take a look. His ladder is only 30 ft tho and this cat is at least 50 ft high. With the angle of the tree and the height, I don't see it coming down on it's own or surviving the fall. I think if it was going to come down on its own, given it's been there a few days already, it would have done so by now. I also found a guy who will climb up the tree for a reasonable price. I just can't see waiting for the cat to die up there. Poor thing.

I'm glad you are there for this kitty. Cats are definitely not at their best when they get up too high in a tree, because they can't use their claws to back up... they are built for forward gripping. And they don't want to try coming down head first. Bit of a design flaw there.

This whole fire department discussion is making me think irresistibly of the fire scene in "Pleasantville," where the only way they can get the fire department to go to the put the burning tree out is to yell "CAT!"

Hope you get the cat down easily and inexpensively. If the guy who is willing to climb does the job, make sure he wears thick sleeves and gloves... that cat, although weak, is likely to make its objections known.

Never leave a cat in a crate outdoors unattended---food and water in there, as well as a trapped cat, will attract predators, and the cat will be helpless against an attack. A plastic or wire crate will keep the cat in, but is no match for a predator.

tjohn said:
My understanding is that nobody has every seen a cat skeleton in a tree which leads me to believe that the cat will figure out how to come down when it has no other choices.

Perhaps not in a tree but certinly at the base of one.

People leave traps outside all the time to catch all sorts of animals, including cats for spaying/neutering. A night in a crate for an exhausted and recently fed and watered cat is extremely unlikely to result in a carnivorous bear, or some other predator strong enough to break into the crate without wire-cutters, coming along to eat the cat. (It'd be far easier for the bear to climb the tree where the cat is already trapped.)

But feel free to immediately let the cat out of the pillowcase to fend for its exhausted, hungry and dehydrated self.

The first guy couldn't do anything, but the tree climber is coming at 8PM. (The tree service companies I called said they don't provide this service!). Melanie, the town animal control person, is returning at 8PM to meet the tree climber and see if we can get the cat to safety. I can't sing Melanie's praises enough. She has been absolutely wonderful. The cat is curled up in an arm of the tree and still seems alert. Let's all hope for a happy ending. Thanks for the suggestions!

Just rooting for the safe rescue of the kitty, pun intended.

Police officers in Harlem rescued a stuck cat by shaking the tree, thereby sending the cat down onto a waiting blanket, held by several of them: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/uptown/cops-refused-cat-stuck-tree-harlem-residents-article-1.2232870

pdg said:
People leave traps outside all the time to catch all sorts of animals, including cats for spaying/neutering. A night in a crate for an exhausted and recently fed and watered cat is extremely unlikely to result in a carnivorous bear, or some other predator strong enough to break into the crate without wire-cutters, coming along to eat the cat. (It'd be far easier for the bear to climb the tree where the cat is already trapped.)
But feel free to immediately let the cat out of the pillowcase to fend for its exhausted, hungry and dehydrated self.

We once had a squirrel in a chimney top squirrel trap (remediation of a nesting problem), and it was a magnet for more birds of prey (and birdwatchers) than I've ever seen in the neighborhood.

I don't believe it survived until the crew returned to remove the trap. Might be different for a cat, of course.

Susan1014,

It is no different than a cat. And the most prevalent predators for trapped cats are not bears or Coyotes, but loose dogs. Trap them, fine, but don't leave them in the trap---it also panics the cat. It is inhumane.

Update, kitty down from tree yet?

Is that "not yet", or is it down already?

Supposed to be a question mark after my post, but I edited thre times, question mark will not post, Iam on my iPad.

Put a space or a return... Your punctuation will show.

emmie said:
Supposed to be a question mark after my post, but I edited thre times, question mark will not post, Iam on my iPad.

we had a cat stuck up in a tree many years ago and it was a good 50feet, we tried everything, fire Dept, food, etc, he would come down a little bit but get scared and go back up. He was up there for 7 days and that last day it started to rain and we were watching him from inside the house, no one was outside, and little by little he came down that tree all on his own and ate up every last bit of food that was Left there. Of course I hope it doesn't come to that, we had Melanie at our house just recently due to an I'll raccoon in our backyard, I agree she is wonderful and hope you have great success getting him down sooner rather than later.

Any luck getting kitty down? I am a little concerned, since I figure if the effort had been successful, the OP would have wanted to post about it right away.

????

FWIW, I would never leave a cat alone in a crate overnight outdoors. If you are going to insist on leaving it in a crate overnight, take the crate indoors where you can keep an eye on it.

Why would you leave it caged for all those hours alone outside? If nothing else, it would be terrorized by animals trying to get at it... I'm thinking raccoons or dogs. Even if they couldn't get through the crate, the poor cat would be scared to death and unable to get away.

It would be more helpful to keep it in the crate, covered with a blanket for shade and privacy, for an hour or so while you observe closely to make sure it is healthy enough to let go. Or better still, take it to a vet for evaluation and try to find its owner.

I'm sorry I didn't give an update sooner. It was quite the excitement. Had to have a tree climber come from northern NJ. He arrived about 9:30 at night. What a great guy - Rob Gilles was his name if ever anyone needs this service or tree trimming. As he got his ropes secure and was about to head up the tree, a branch came lose pretty high up, frightening the cat enough to decide to jump the 50 ft to the ground. Incredibly, the tree climber was still on the ground and the cat landed on his shoulder instead of the driveway, slid down his arm and ran away. Never saw him/her again but assume the cat survived unscathed! Thanks!

OMG. That is the strangest possible ending to this story, but thanks for letting us know. I hope the cat is okay, and I sure appreciate the effort you put into rescuing him/her.

Cats can fall pretty far. We had a cat who fell off the roof, a good 30+ feet and landed on solid concrete. She chipped a tooth, no other damage.

Was Rob okay? That cat must have been a flying claw.