A ginger cat named Captain spent 4 days caught close to the highest of a thin fir tree, swaying within the wind on Whidbey Island. Sophie the newborn calico cried so loud, she could possibly be heard throughout her Port Orchard neighborhood. But their cries for assist turned to purrs of happiness when their superhero rescuers arrived to assist.
Sean Sears and Tom Otto function the nonprofit Canopy Cat Rescue (CCR). The brothers-in-law journey all through Western Washington, serving to kitties who’ve discovered themselves in precarious positions. After greater than 10 years, Sears and Otto estimate they’ve rescued 7,000 cats.
Contrary to widespread perception, the overwhelming majority of cats can not get down from a tree. Their claws are curved, which helps them go UP, however not down.
“The longest we have seen a cat in a tree is 27 days,” stated Sears. “We get a couple of calls yearly for cats caught nicely over 10 days. On common, after we get the decision, it has been caught solely a day or two.”
Sears and Otto are each licensed arborists. Sears stated, usually, cat rescues are completed by individuals who know tips on how to climb timber safely and work for tree companies.
“Fire departments do not normally assist cats in timber however on occasion, we’ll hear of a division doing one,” he stated. “We estimate lower than 5 p.c of fireplace departments will exit for a cat in a tree, and infrequently they don’t seem to be profitable because of access or peak of the tree.”
The majority of the time, cats climb timber to flee predators, Sears stated.
“Once shortly, we’ll hear that the cat was chasing a chook or a squirrel however that is fairly uncommon,” Sears stated. “This is also a part of the explanation generally they discover it exhausting to come back down. Plenty of occasions, the coyote or canine that chased the cat up the tree continues to be within the space. Especially when a cat wanders right into a yard with a canine, the canine continues to be within the yard barking and the cat is aware of if it comes down, it will get attacked.”
On the social media channels for CCR, a frequent remark is: “I’ve by no means seen a cat skeleton in a tree.”
“The reality is you do not see any animal skeletons in timber as a result of they might fall out in the event that they died within the tree or get eaten by a chook of prey,” stated Sears.
How It Works
“Most of the calls we get are from the cat house owners as a result of they hear some meowing after which they see their kitty in a tree,” stated Sears. “Other occasions, it is simply folks which may see or hear a kitty in a tree and do not know what to do.”
The process begins with an informational telephone name: How lengthy has the cat been within the tree? Is the tree in your yard or neighbor’s yard? Is the cat skittish round strangers?
“These questions will dictate how we go a couple of rescue and when,” stated Sears. “For instance, if it is a actually skittish or fearful cat that has solely been caught half-hour, we’d recommend giving them extra time to see if they will make it down. What we do not need is to trigger the cat to leap, slip, fall, or climb greater after we have not given them a while to come back down beneath their very own energy.”
Other rescues will warrant an instantaneous response, “Like a cat that’s on a leash/harness and is not aware of the world, a cat that has by no means been exterior earlier than, or there’s excessive climate,” stated Sears.
Sears and Otto use climbing gear to succeed in the cat. They communicate to it in a relaxing voice, and when the time is correct, slip kitty right into a mesh bag for the journey down.
The cuddlers far outweigh the killers.
“Most cats are blissful to see us,” stated Sears. “I’d guesstimate 70-plus p.c are blissful to see us and actually glad to get some assist. Other occasions, they may not essentially wish to kill us, they’re simply actually scared and can climb away to leap to a different tree.”
Videos and images of the rescues are posted on CCR’s social media pages, and so they’ve acquired an enormous following! They have over 195,400 followers on TikTok and three.4 million likes. They have one other 126,000 followers throughout Facebook and Instagram.
Cat lovers world wide love Sears and Otto. Said one adoring fan, “You take nice images along with being a hero with no cape!”
No cost for rescue
CCR averages 700-800 rescues a yr, and there’s no cost.
“We function on donations,” stated Sears. “Folks can donate on our web site,” which could be discovered right here.
Sears stated the dilemma of cats getting caught in timber is certainly an even bigger concern within the Pacific Northwest.
“Because of our normal peak of timber, abundance of timber, folks that allow cats exterior, and naturally folks keen to assist an animal in misery,” he stated. “In different areas of the nation, it nonetheless occurs however there are fewer folks available to assist and fewer stats recorded.”
If your kitty is lacking, make sure you verify the timber!
“We extremely suggest looking timber at night time with a flashlight to search for the reflection of the cat’s eyes,” stated Sears.
He stated an enormous mistake some folks make is leaving meals on the base of the tree.
“This will solely entice different animals to the bottom of the tree, additional inflicting the cat to remain within the tree,” he stated.
Even if a caught cat isn’t your cat, CCR can nonetheless assist. They carry microchip scanners to find the cat’s house owners. They additionally work with native shelters and rescue organizations which are keen to soak up a cat if the proprietor cannot be discovered.
Canopy Cat Rescue is available throughout Western Washington.
If you might be in Eastern Washington or one other state, Cat in a Tree Emergency Rescue affords a worldwide listing of rescuers right here at www.catinatreerescue.com
Susan Wyatt is a contract author for Seattle Refined, specializing in pets, gardening and all-around swell stuff within the PNW.
