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The actual situation depends on the age and agility of the cat in question, and what is really keeping them up that tree.
Knowledge. Kittens probably do need some kind of help, if only verbal encouragement, to make their way down the trunk of the tree. That’s because cats go up a tree head upwards. They must go down a tree the same way.
Unlike the trip up the tree, going down backwards must be learned. When I had a carpeted climbing wall in my house, kittens could be found about face-high, mewing piteously. They had to figure out how to descend while still facing up, so that the curve of their claws would hold them up; not let them fall.
A kitten stuck in a tree is probably truly stuck. The louder they complain, the more daunted they feel about getting down.
What to do: If they are not that far up, a sponge mop is a good tool; they often welcome the chance to cling to something else besides the tree. Once they fasten themselves to the sponge instead of the branch, they can be lowered to the ground.
Experience. Our adult cat can find themselves in a similar situation if they don’t usually go out and have never climbed trees before. Instinct will get them up the tree in case of danger, but instinct will not get them down.
Even if we have “things they climb” in our house, even carpets and drapes; this might not give them the necessary skills. Trees need a lot more pressure on their claws to dig in and hold up an adult’s weight. Add in trepidation about whatever sent them up the tree in the first place, and we might have a cat stuck in a tree.
What to do: It’s not just getting to the cat safely, it’s getting the cat to grab something else safely, too. Strap a pillow or couch cushion to our arm or chest, and we will be able to get the cat down without us getting punctured, too. Once the cat stops clinging for dear life to the tree, they will need to cling for dear life onto something else.
Motivation. Sometimes, the cat’s not coming down because they don’t want to. Just seeing a cat in a tree does not mean a rescue situation. Cats climb down from trees all the time.
But sometimes the cat can’t climb down, because they are stuck physically, not just mentally. I’ve known of cats stuck in trees because they slipped and got jabbed with a sharp branch that they couldn’t get free of, or they stepped on a cracked branch that closed on their paw when their weight came off of it, or their non-breakaway collar trapped them.
These cats really need rescuing.
What to do: So many times I’ve talked to people who got their cat back after a long time, because they didn’t know their cat was stuck in a tree. So many people who let their cat out don’t look up when they are looking for their cat.
This is why all cats stuck in trees should be approached from a sturdy surface, such as a well-braced ladder. Get someone else to help. Be sure to protect ourselves with gloves and a heavy jacket, at the least, because a hurt, starving, panicked cat will not be their usual self.
Cats are natural aerialists. That’s why they climb all over our furniture and like to hang out on top of the refrigerator. When in danger, they take the high ground. So trees are actually their natural habitat.
But, like so many of their instincts, they don’t always work in the world we have made.
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