How long would you leave a stray cat 20 feet up a tree in your yard

[likesmountains 52]

before you got worried it wasn't going to get down? It's only been a few hours, but kitty looks like he's not going to move...I've got about 4-5 hours of light left today..

[cwydro]

1. Put some good food out...

but knowing me, I'd already be on my way up to get it.

[likesmountains 52]

18. He's up a little high for me to retrieve but I"ll try the food idea and prop

a long 4x4 up against the trunk...

[Omphaloskepsis]

2. I hear cats are good at living through big falls...

Give me a second.. I will drop one of mine off the roof.. BRB.



OK -- Harley is alive but he is pissed. I might be sleeping alone tonight.

[likesmountains 52]

9. Well, give my thanks to Harley for his first hand experience!

[Wcross]

3. Until I ran out of shotgun shells.

Just kidding! In my 43 years of life I have NEVER seen a dead cat in a tree. Somehow they always seem to be able to get down on their own.

[likesmountains 52]

17. Lucky little creatures that they are, I hope you're right!

[sammythecat]

4. I was going to suggest a ladder, but,

since it's a stray he might just panic.

If you can get a long plank or branch you can lean it up against the trunk. If you can, prop the base on something high and stable to decrease the angle (a truck bed?). The cat will eventually try to come down and will likely try to get what you have placed there since it would be easier to negotiate than the vertical trunk. Anything you could do to decrease the angle of descent will help.

I would be afraid that any attempts to actually get a hold of the cat would prompt an untamed cat to jump from fear. I would just try to think of a way to make his descent as easy and safe as possible. The plank or THICK branch is the best I can come up with at the moment. If you do that, make sure it doesn't wobble. If it's shaky the cat isn't likely to trust it. It might take half an hour or 5 hours till he decides to try and come down. Be patient.

Keep an eye on the little guy and good luck to both of you.

[likesmountains 52]

10. He seems kind of nervous...think I'll take your advice and prop a

landscaping log up against the trunk. Thanks

[sammythecat]

14. Good luck, and it's nice that you're concerned for the little guy.

[Kutjara]

5. Ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree?

Me neither.

[likesmountains 52]

11. You're right, but it's kind of agonizing to watch!

[sammythecat]

12. No, but cat's and even squirrels

can be fatally injured from a fall.

I've never seen a human skeleton in a tree either, but the same happens to them too. :)

[Kutjara]

19. Excellent point!

I remember when I was a kid, a cat got stranded at the top of an enormous tree in our yard. After two days of begging from me, my dad got out the ladder and nearly killed himself getting the beast down. The second the cat was on the ground, it ran straight back up the tree. My dad didn't get it down this time.

The cat came down on it's own a couple of days later.

[trof]

6. Until it comes down.

Sooner or later, it will.
Ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree?
No cat ever starved to death in a tree.
Eventually its tummy will get the best of its fear and it'll come down.

[likesmountains 52]

13. Thanks trof, I just won't be able to let my dog out until the cat leaves...

so I hope it figures it out sooner rather than later..

[skygazer]

7. I probably wouldn't get worried

Put some food under the tree and leave it alone - it will probably be gone in the morning.

[likesmountains 52]

15. Thanks...I'll set something out...I don't have cat food so I'll have to

check out my options!

[Hell Hath No Fury]

8. Once cats get that far up...

in a tree, they can have real problems getting back down. The way their paws are shaped and claws are arched make it very easy to get up, but work against them when trying the reverse. Cats tend not to "walk" their way down a tree or object -- they tend to scoot down a bit and then jump the rest of the way. If they are too high, that jump can be too far for them.

The longer the cat is up that tree, the longer he goes without water and food and the more strength he loses. If a cat is really feeling stuck, they will not come down until they fall out. An intervention might be in order if he is still there in the a.m.

[likesmountains 52]

16. That's what he's doing...he'll try to come down face first and then

freezes, turns around and heads back up to a kind of flat branch..I'll try all the suggestions, hope it doesn't rain or snow tonight and hope he's gone in the morning.

[doc03]

20. As long as the tree stands!

[liberal renegade]

21. he'll get down just as the fire department arrives....

[dpbrown]

22. Forever comes to mind

As long as it's up there, it's not killing the songbirds in my yard.