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Cat stuck in a tree?

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It happens all the time. All cats are natural tree climbers, but when it is time to come down, some cats know how to climb down and some don’t. Those that don’t know how to come down are truly stuck. When the cat is stuck, the cat and its owner are both suffering, and that suffering is needlessly prolonged when numerous people convince the owner that all cats come down on their own. That is not true. Some cats will come down, but some won't. If the cat has had enough time to figure out how to come down on its own and is still stuck, then it's time for a rescue. Rescue Service Learn about my rescue service , view  video highlights  or a  gallery of images of past rescues, and read the blog of individual rescue stories using either the Rescue Stories page or the blog archive link in the sidebar. All the links, as well as my contact information, are in the navigation sidebar. All About Cats in Trees The subject of cats in trees is poorly understood by the general public,
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Frank and Ramone

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I have been very lucky to have several super-sweet cats to rescue lately. I know my luck will not last forever, but I am certainly enjoying myself in the meantime, and these last two rescues continued the trend. Frank, a beautiful Siamese kitty in Slidell, Louisiana, was stuck in his neighbor's oak tree for two nights. He wasn't very high, and a bolder cat would have found a way down this leaning trunk, but Frank is not a bold boy. When I began to install my rope above him, he became scared and climbed down to a point where he could be reached with the 10-foot ladder that was already there. When I climbed the ladder up to him, he began to purr and was very friendly with me. I tried to lift him with my hand under his chest, but he wasn't comfortable with that. I spent a little more time with him and then tried it again. Like a young couple's first kiss, i t was awkward, but we made it work, and I held him in one hand against my body while I carefully stepped down the lad
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Dewey

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Cats sure can cause a lot of trouble. Not only can they cause trouble for their own family, but they can cause trouble for anyone who happens to be nearby. For example, when you find an unknown cat stuck in a tree in your yard, like it or not, you suddenly have the trouble of being responsible for the cat. It doesn't matter if you don't have time or even if you hate cats, you have the trouble of finding someone who can rescue the cat, and then you need to take care of the cat until you find its owner. If the owner is not found, then you need to find a home for the cat. That's trouble, and many people simply won't or can't put out that much effort to help an unknown cat. Depending on who, if anyone, takes responsibility for the cat, the cat's eventual fate can range anywhere between sublime and tragic. Dewey was lucky. He was lucky because he happened to get stuck in a tree on the property belonging to Lamar and Stacy, and they were willing to go to the trouble o
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Blue

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Whenever I approach a cat stuck in a tree, I desperately want him to welcome me, recognize my good intentions, trust me, and be friendly with me as soon as I am close to him. Indeed, I want that for every cat I see whether he is in a tree or on the ground. I imagine we all want a warm reception like that, but it's not a particularly realistic expectation in every case. In fact, when I think about it, I marvel that any cat would ever be receptive at all. Imagine being approached by a creature of a different species who is at least 15 times larger and clearly much more powerful, not only in strength but also in his control over his environment. It must surely be frightening to stand next to such an imposing beast towering over you and focusing his attention on you. What will he do next? Yes, I am amazed when a cat gives me a warm reception, and I feel so honored and lucky to get it. That's how I felt with Blue, a four-month-old kitty in Central, Louisiana who got stuck in a tree
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Steve

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I was on my way to rescue Simon when I got a call about another cat, Steve, who was stuck in a tree in Denham Springs, Louisiana. When I asked about Steve's disposition toward strangers, I was told that he doesn't like people. That's not what I like to hear, and it sounded like he would be a very uncooperative cat to rescue. My expectation for a difficult rescue, however, turned out to be mistaken. Steve is a six-year-old, inside-only cat who escaped and climbed a tree immediately next to his house. He was about 25 feet high and had been stuck there for one night. When I began to climb up to him, he didn't act like a cat who hated people. In fact, he seemed to be very happy to see me coming toward him. The closer I got, the more he rubbed his head against the tree, and the sweeter he looked. He sniffed my hand, let me pet him, rubbed his head against the tree some more, and pushed his head into my hand for some more pets. This cat is not acting like a cat who hates peo
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Simon's Fourth Rescue

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Simon is only sixteen months old, and this is the fourth time I have rescued him in the past twelve months. He is an inside cat, but he often finds a way to slip out the door, and he has a magnetic attraction to trees. I don't know how many more rescues are in his future, but I suspect I will be seeing him in a tree again. I won't mind. I like Simon. He is always very friendly, cooperative, and docile, and this time was no exception. Simon was in a bad spot this time. When I arrived, he was 50 feet high in the fork of a dead branch (red circle), and I was concerned about how I could safely reach him. I began to install my rope about 15 feet below him (yellow circle) where I was sure the tree was alive and planned to determine what I would do next after getting a closer look at the dead branch. While I was  working to install my rope, Simon came down 15 feet to that same fork, and that saved me a great deal of trouble and risk. I didn't see him do it. I just looked up to pul
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