In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Cat in tree, won't come down, how to fell tree?

Discussion in 'The Wood Pile' started by Yawner, Mar 5, 2021.

  1. Yawner

    Yawner

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    This is nuts but not a joke, this is real! Cat in a tree, won't come down and tomorrow is day 7.

    My gf has a cat that lives in her chicken yard. Came up as a youngun close to a year ago and never left. Has a collar. Which needs to come off cuz she was a kitten then, it's too tight! She has never touched the cat because she won't let her! That dramatically worsens this situation.

    So, I now know that this cat is in heat. Well, was. Probably climbed the tree to get away from a male. The cat was up there for three or four days and then one day, I see another cat up there that looks identical! Hours later, I saw them mating. The next morning, the male was down from the tree and kitty is still there. About 25-30 ft up in a cedar tree. Pretty pitiful, there is no place to be comfortable up there; she sits and sometimes lays on a limb but it's nothing up there much to lay on. Just sits up there and meows at us.

    The gf is warming up to cutting the tree; she doesn't want to but what to do? This cedar leans at about 20 degrees to the vertical. Probably about 35-40 ft tall and maybe 12-15 inch DBH. I thought maybe I could fell it with some kind of cut that would let the tree down slowly. But what if the hinge breaks. So, I thought of tieing on to my truck hitch and then back the truck up slowly, letting the tree down.

    Any ideas on how to fell it or what about this idea of tieing onto the truck? I trust this tree is not big enough to hurt my truck.

    I hired a tree service to bring a bucket truck this morning but dangit, they needed to get three feet closer but could not due to muddy ground. He did try... not close enough. Then, got stuck trying to back out. We got it out with a 1-ton.

    I am thinking that a bucket truck or a man climbing the tree is not going to work, as the cat is just going to back away and not be caught. She is skiddish.

    I also note that I have searched on this a bunch of times and read many articles and not one article says that the cat will def come down. Of course, people say they will but it is apparent that this may not be the case. You would think that since there are millions of cats, there would be a definite answer! If the cat doesn't come down (and I don't think she will), dehydration or hunger or organ shutdown could occur. It seems crazy that a cat would die in a tree without coming down. Apparently, this one (and many others who do the same) do not know how to come down. They can't go down a tree like a squirrel, they have to back down.

    I also wondered if I could get a cage or kennel up there, pull it up on a rope and put food and water in there and wondered if she would enter. Then lower her down. Lots of cedar branches to make that kind of difficult.

    Lastly, what's to keep the cat from doing this again? Nothing. This cat climbed another tree awhile back and was up there several days and a neighbor came and cut the limb the cat was on and that was that. I was not around for that episode. This is crazy for a cat to do this! If I get her down, I will have to get her spayed. And then hope she quits climbing trees.

    I'd appreciate it if you would refrain from saying stuff like shoot it or whatever, we are animal lovers, have dogs, cats and chickens as pets.
     
  2. Locust Post

    Locust Post

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    A neighbor a few years ago had something similar. I went up with a ladder close enough to get to the main limb and cut it with a cordless sawzall. We were worried the cat would die in the fall but after close to a week we figured it was either try or it would die like you explained. When the limb let go the cat came down and was running the second the paws hit the ground
     
  3. Cash Larue

    Cash Larue

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    I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve actually gotten cats out of trees as a firefighter. But when people call - we don’t use our ladder truck. I just climb the tree with elbow length leather gloves and grab the damm cat :thumbs:
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2021
  4. Timberdog

    Timberdog

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  5. bushpilot

    bushpilot

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    Can you try a water hose to "motivate" the cat?
     
  6. Jeremy Anthon

    Jeremy Anthon

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    Reminds me of the movie the Incredibles, where Mr Incredible gets a cat out of the tree by plucking up the whole tree and shaking the cat out haha!

    But that really stinks, I feel really bad for the cat to be in that spot, surely dehydration would make it too weak to climb down by now maybe even too weak to run from you if you were inclined to try a climb. I don't think the cat is likely to survive the tree coming down tho, too much chance to get caught under the truck or limbs.

    Only thing I could think of is that maybe animal control could shoot a dart in it and make it go to sleep then you could be ready to catch it?
     
  7. Eckie

    Eckie

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    Echoing bushpilot...do you have access to water? Enough hose and pressure to spray? And I dont mean hard stream to knock it out...just making it uncomfortable with some water might make it move.

    If you drop the tree, it sounds like it can go in the direction of the lean. From cutting cedars before, they can split on you in the leaning situations (im referring to eastern reds). But i think i would slowly cut from the back, being very aware of the potential for splitting and barberchairing. If i put a face cut, it would be very very small.
     
  8. yooperdave

    yooperdave

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    The cat will come down by itself eventually.

    Seeing as it has a collar that is way too tight, it has already been "helped" by a human at some point.

    [​IMG]
     
  9. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    Just what I was thinking...
     
  10. Yawner

    Yawner

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    No food. No water. No place to lay down. For 7 days. Cat has got to be in a weakened condition.

    As for "it will come down," as I have said, I know people say that and I am sure it often happens but I have not found any source that says that it will definitely come down. There are tens of thousands of veterinarians and animal rescue people and not one says the cat will definetly come down. And I just found an article stating that cats do sometimes refuse to come down and will die in the tree. Nuts, this is a flaw in feline evolution.

    I am now going to take a can of tuna and hope I can waft smell to it. Also going to take my longest ladder and see what I can come up with. But I am def not a tree climber, especially at my less agile age.
     
  11. Eckie

    Eckie

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    I understand wanting to get the cat out. Guys at firehouse always joke about cats in a tree, and "ain't never seen a cat skeleton in a tree".....but of course there has to be a percentage that doesn't work out in the end. Even in a weakened state...I woyuld be very careful grabbing a cat up on a ladder. I have seen wore out cats wake up and essentially throw out a whuppin...not a tussle I would want to take lightly up in an extension ladder. I would also have a very good plan laid out for if you get your hands on the cat way up in said tree on said ladder.....
     
  12. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    did you throw her a cigarette? :smoke::rofl: :lol:
     
  13. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    So your suggestion is to burn it down? o_O :rofl: :lol:
     
  14. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    Years back when i owned my house i would open the bedroom windows and my cats would go onto the porch roof, wander around and come back in. One day one was missing...he had jumped to the roof over the family room from the porch. The roof was a 45* angle. I went out and there is Sam sitting on the peak like he is a weathervane! I put the ladder up for him to climb down and he wouldnt. I got the hose and even though it didnt reach, he got the point and came down. Very domesticted cat.
    Try hose and or food.
    DONT cut it down, it will probably kill the cat.
     
  15. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    I now put my heavy leather "BBQ" gloves on before grabbing cats (even kittens) that I'm not 100% confident of their reaction to being grabbed...I've had cute little puff of fur kittens turn into a ball of teeth and claws (covered in my blood) in a split second after being captured o_O :startled: :jaw: :doh:
     
  16. Eckie

    Eckie

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    Exactly. Up in a tree on a ladder...the weak little cat becomes the devils spawn when grabbed...and boom, you make the local paper with your picture looking like the mummy in traction....
     
  17. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    Same here. So much so when the feral kitten bit my thumb i wondered it it was rabid. The animal shelter captured it and said it would have to be killed to test for rabies to which i said no. I ended up getting the rabies shots (and no i didnt have a tag to wear on my collar all you wise guys!) I had to get the last shots while on my honeymoon. :picard::emb:.
    To rub salt in the wounds, insurance wouldnt cover the $1200 as it was considered a vaccination! :headbang:
    The momma cat got pregnant again and when we came back i took the hose to her and she never came back. Needless to say i wasnt happy even though i love cats!
    Very true story!
     
    Midwinter, Chvymn99, Bill2 and 6 others like this.
  18. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    Yes!
    I like to put my Carhartt coat on too...gives good protection for arms and torso...
     
  19. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    I would have captured that dang cat and made it into the most obedient lap cat ever...if it were the last thing I ever did!!
    Bite me and cost me $1200...you are gonna lay on my lap and PURR DANG IT! :rofl: :lol:
     
  20. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    The momma was friendly as were two of the six kittens. The one i tried to capture looked liked some mutation and i named it Mute. I gave her the hoes treatment!