Here kitty, kitty?

Dear Fisher,

This is me acting like a jungle kitty. I love to climb in trees but I never leave my yard. The other day, I was lurking from the branches and I heard a lot of commotion coming from the yard next door. My human heard it, too, and ran down to help.

Turns out my skittish neighbor cat that rarely gets to go outside escaped from his house, got scared when a car drove by, panicked and ended up in a high tree. It took two days to get him down. What would you suggest to get the situation corrected quicker?

Arielle

Dear Arielle,

Oh dear, that is an event when one of us is up a tree without a parachute. There are two things going against popular opinion here. First is, firefighters will come to the rescue – not so. They are no longer first responders to such emergencies. That is not to say they are not wonderful compassionate human beings, because they are. It is just against company policy. There are still some who will come to help, especially if you live in a small town.

Secondly, the theory that cats always land on their feet, therefore avoiding serious injury, is not true. Cats have always known this. When they are afraid, they tend to dig their claws into whatever they can and hang on for dear life. If their human were to pull them off the tree limb, the human arm would become the object of safety, often causing profuse bleeding. Obviously sending up a helium filled balloon to transfer the cat down would not work either.

A cat’s claws are designed to climb up but not down. If the human rushes to the garage to get the ladder which will likely be too short anyway he may just drive the cat further up the tree. Cats are very resourceful and given time, space and dignity, they can master just about any situation.

Cats also know that the higher up they are, the harder they are going to fall. The overriding issue here is fear. That is how the cat got up the tree in the first place, and fear of falling might keep him there. It will be very helpful if the collection of people gathered on the ground remain calm. Or just go away. The commotion of people and other animals milling about down below can be scary, if not totally embarrassing.

What should your people do and who are they going to call?

1. Do not panic.
2. Have a plan before you need it. Visit Cat in a Tree Rescue for a list of rescue sources in your area. Call early to put them on notice in case you need their services later.
3. Place a bowl of water and some food at the bottom of the tree.
4. Pull up a lawn chair, make yourself comfortable, and read a good book.

And one other thing: do not even try “Here kitty, kitty.” The cat is already embarrassed and scared, but he is not stupid. Kitty can SEE “here” from “there”. Give him a chance to work things out on his own.

Your friend,

Fisher

published in tbt Tampa Bay Out There weekend edition