There's a cat stuck in my neighbor's tree...help!

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pumpkinsbubby

Sun, Dec 14 2014, 5:10 pm

It's a very old tree and very tall too. The cat is scared and has been meowing all day long. The city offices are closed on Sunday, and the police won't get involved. We live in the Detroit suburbs. Any suggestions?

FranticFrummie

Sun, Dec 14 2014, 5:15 pm

She'll eventually calm down and figure it out. If they couldn't, then the trees would be full of dead cats!

The best thing to do is to ignore her, because if she sees a potential rescuer, she'll wait for you to come get her. If she realizes she's on her own, she'll get a grip and come down faster.

Another thing to remember, cats have fallen out of 10 story windows, and lived to tell the tale without a scratch. 9 lives, and all that.

greenfire

Sun, Dec 14 2014, 5:51 pm

get a ladder & coax her into your arms ...

leave food at the bottom of the tree ...

cats sometimes don't realize how high they climb & get scared - hopefully she'll try to get down branch by branch herself ...

there's always tomorrow

pumpkinsbubby

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 7:57 am

My original post was this past Sunday. Today, Wednesday morning, the cat is still high up in the tree and scared to come down. It is meowing. It is so sad to watch. My neighbor is at her wit's end. People were telling us it takes about 3-5 days for the cat to start making it's way back down. Today is day 4. I fear the cat will die before it does that. So sad. The only resort, we are told, is to call a tree trimming company or tree removal company, to come with a tall ladder and get it down for us, but this can cost hundreds. My neighbor will be calling tree trimming companies today.
Let me stress that this is a very tall tree, I'm no good with estimates, but way way taller than the houses in our area. A small ladder will not do it! We are still open to ideas and suggestions. A few of the neighbors have offered to help pay the costs involved.

pumpkinsbubby

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 8:02 am

OP here again. It is sad that a city like Oak Park, Michigan, can't get public assistance in a situation such as this. The police and fire department will not be bothered. The animal control is no better. Neither is the humane society. What is a homeowner supposed to do, just sit there and let the cat die? Actually the animal control did come by yesterday and put a trap underneath the tree with some food in it. And, if you're still reading this post, they came back at the end of the day and found another cat that wandered in by mistake.

vintagebknyc

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 8:30 am

do you have a neighborhood listserv? a community bulletin board? something where you can post this and hope someone with a tree service will come as a mitzvah?

I'd call local tv or a local newspaper, tell them and have them come to see. it's amazing what public officials will do if they feel they're being embarrassed. truth.

Rutabaga

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 8:30 am

Maybe your neighbor should call a local news station. If they do a human interest story then it might guilt the fire department or another organization into doing something about the poor cat.

Also, has anyone tried calling the utility company? At least here in NY they have bucket trucks that can lift someone up pretty high. I don't know if you have above ground electrical wires in Michigan that would require that kind of equipment, but it's worth a phone call.

pumpkinsbubby

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 9:21 am

Many great suggestions. We will follow up on them! Thank you all so much! Hope there will be a happy ending to all of this...we will keep you posted.

greenfire

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 6:50 pm

well I'm shocked - I might have to drive 3 hours to climb that tree for you

isn't there some teenage kid that is agile enough to help save a kitty ?

MEOW (^_^)~~~

Last edited by greenfire on Wed, Dec 17 2014, 6:51 pm; edited 1 time in total

Scrabble123

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 6:51 pm

How is the kitty cat doing?

pumpkinsbubby

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 7:44 pm

It's a long story, but thankfully with a happy ending.
There is a local radio station in Michigan called "Ask Your Neighbor." People call in with questions and "neighbors" respond with suggestions. I was home doing paperwork this morning, and listening to the radio, when it occurred to me that I might call the station and ask "the neighbors" for advice.
There were amazing suggestions like to call tree decorating companies who are quite busy this time of year decorating tall buildings and trees with holiday lights...
Then someone suggested a tree trimming company who is famous for rescuing cats (as a public service). My neighbor called them, and within two hours a husband and wife team came out with all their equipment and got the cat down safely. They brought along a cage, and would not leave until the cat found a home that would take her in for as long as necessary to nurse her back to health. Someone in the area volunteered to take her in, and when we left the neighbor's house, the cat was happily in her cage eating tuna and licking a bowl of milk. The cat looked so content, as opposed to what I had envisioned would happen. I thought the cat would run wild, but to the contrary it was so calm and relaxed.
Thank you all for your ideas and suggestions. You are such a wonderful group of women...
I feel that this was truly a Chanukah miracle!

greenfire

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 7:47 pm

thank goodness

Rubber Ducky

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 7:59 pm

Wow — who knew that that through a call-in show you'd find a husband/wife cat rescue team? That's sweet. I love a happy ending!

vintagebknyc

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 9:40 pm

maybe you need a cat? she's given you a sign, after all, and very loud!

so glad the kitty is safe.

FranticFrummie

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 9:51 pm

Just so everyone knows, tuna and milk are two of the WORST things you can give a cat, especially if she's hungry and dehydrated. Please call a vet before you feed a cat people food!

Puke

Cleaning up kitty barf is not fun. BTDT.

vintagebknyc

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 11:14 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

Just so everyone knows, tuna and milk are two of the WORST things you can give a cat, especially if she's hungry and dehydrated. Please call a vet before you feed a cat people food!

Puke

Cleaning up kitty barf is not fun. BTDT.

lol, I was thinking the same thing. the cat I have now, she arrived as a kitten quite flatulent. that wasn't acceptable, so we changed the diet. but I know all about stepping in the cat barf in bare feet in the morning.

if they weren't so adorable and furry and irresistible...

chani8

Thu, Dec 18 2014, 3:29 am

Giving milk is a sure way to kill a cat. Sad

But glad this story had a happy ending. Smile

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