A nine-month-old kitten who got herself stuck in a tree, evading rescue attempts for three days, was eventually brought back down to earth in a tree surgeon’s net.
Tabby coloured Pixie had only been going outside for about five days before she landed herself in a spot of bother by becoming stranded in a 60-foot (18.2 metres) tree at a property in Hollinwood, Oldham on 19 February.
Concerned neighbours had initially tried to reach her using a ladder, but the mischievous moggie ended up climbing even higher. The following day the RSPCA was called and animal rescue officer Lee Ferrans attended the location and assessed the situation before contacting Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. Again Pixie had other ideas and continued to evade rescue attempts by going further up until she could barely be seen.
“We left some food out for her on a branch overnight and I then returned the following day but it was pretty clear that after being up there at that height for about 72 hours, Pixie still wasn’t going to budge, so I decided the next port of call would be to try and find a local tree surgeon,” said Lee.
The Oldham-based firm, Mad about Trees, agreed to help and arborist Stephen Jamieson and his two colleagues used specialist equipment to reach Pixie, bringing her back down to earth in a net before she was reunited with her relieved owner on 22 February.
Lee added: “We’re really grateful to Mad about Trees who were only too happy to help with Pixie’s predicament and kindly offered their time and expertise free of charge. Our thanks also go to the fire service for their assistance in situations like this – their help and support is always very much appreciated.
“She took her time, but it was a great moment when we reunited Pixie with her owner. She’s certainly used up one of her nine lives and maybe this might have put her off scaling such a tall tree in the
The RSPCA encourages owners to try and give their cats enough time to come down from trees on their own by trying to tempt them with smelly treats or by warming food a little to increase its odour.
It’s quite often the case that they’re not actually trapped, but scared or unsure and they often figure it out and end up making their own way down.
Every job is different though and it will depend on the age and health of the cat, whether it’s injured or physically caught in something and the weather conditions at the time. If rescue is attempted too early, cats will sometimes go higher or they may jump from tree to tree and put themselves at further risk of falling.
