Stuck: In a Tree

2012 and still no jet packs?

It's so cliche, you think it can't actually be a real thing. My cat is stuck in a tree. It is real, this year alone we've responded to over 160 cat in tree calls. A lot of people call us, already upset, because their local fire department wouldn't help. Things can get pretty complicated pretty quickly, and I definitely wouldn't want to be trapped under a car or stuck in a burning building while my local fire department is locked in a tussle with an upset cat, stuck in a tree. That's what we're here for, and we're more than happy to help. We urge people not to try and do it themselves either. We recently responded to a call in Boston to find the cat was no longer in the tree. A neighbor told us the fire department DID come, because they had to get the owner and the cat out of the tree.

TWO CATS IN A TREE?!?!?! Yup. Two stray kittens, running around, having
a blast in Malden. One was stuck, the other kept going up and down, trying to
rescue his brother.

Why won't Midnight just come down? If you've ever tried your hand at rock climbing, or mountain climbing, you know that climbing down can be terrible. You can't see anything, and you're constantly trying to feel your way around with your feet. If only cats could rappel. Cats with little helmets and ropes would be adorable. Cats usually need to turn around and cling to the tree with their head up, and come down backwards. The ones that can figure that out, usually do fairly quickly, and we don't hear from them. We've seen a few try and figure it out, which usually means clinging to the tree, head down, then running straight down the trunk, then rolling and bouncing the rest of the way down. Most of the cats we've seen jump or fall have done surprisingly well, even at heights of 60 to 90 feet. Somehow, due to a lot of science, and a little bit of magic, the real danger of being stuck in a tree isn't hitting the ground at 60 mph. Those cats run home and hide their shame under the porch until we leave. The real danger is what can happen if the cat is stuck in the tree too long.

Looking out over Reading MA from the top of a 100 ft eastern white
pine tree. It's a very peaceful place, just don't let go.

According to our very own Dr. Smith, an overweight cat can go into acute liver failure (hepatic lipidosis) in just a few days without food, a healthy cat in just a few more. In hot weather, dehydration is a huge concern. In cold weather, frostbite. A few years ago, we got a cat out of a tree in central MA in February. It was 4 degrees during the day, and the cat had been stuck in the tree for two nights. That cat lost the tips of her ears and some toes. Serious health concerns aside, the misery of being tired, hungry, and uncomfortable for days on end, is all the motivation we need to get a cat out of a tree.

A bunch of cute cats no longer stuck in trees.