Help needed - new rescue cat up chimney

[IceCreamIScream]

Hoping for some advice!
We picked up a beautiful rescue cat yesterday- she's two years old and is quite timid. When we took her home we let her out she spent most of her time hiding in the room in different spaces but we shut the door and left her to it going in and chatting to her occasionally. When I came down this morning I saw she'd eaten some food and used the litter tray(!) but couldn't find her. I checked in all of the possible spots and was at a loss until I saw some black paw prints - she'd managed to get behind the board I'd put across the chimney and was sat in the grate. I didn't put the board back and left the room, when I came back she wasn't there and after much searching discovered she's climbed up the chimney - about a foot or so but somewhere we can't reach her. She doesn't look stuck, or distressed but obviously I don't want her to go further up. How do you coax a cat down? We're going to put the smelliest food we can think of at the bottom of the chimney and leave the room, hoping it'll work. Any other tips?
As soon as she's down there's an old pillow being shoved up there - I thought I didn't need to because of the board!

[MyKingdomForBrie]

My cat has sat in the chimney before, didn’t do him any harm! I would as you say leave out food and leave her to it.

[scurryfunge]

She'll come down eventually. Do what you were planning to do with food and leaving the room.

[TroysMammy]

Lick e lix or Dreamies but you could be making a rod for your own back. A friend has recently mentioned her cat goes mental for chicken sausages.

I'm sure puss will come out when she's ready but you may freeze to death in the meantime.

[IceCreamIScream]

Thank you all! I can cope with us being chilly as long as she comes down! Poor girl.
Chicken sausages on shopping list...

[Thingvellir]

I think she’ll come down when she’s comfortable - it’s the nerves of a new place. She’s checking it all out from safety.

Our first two rescue kittens stayed behind the washing machine for the first 3 days, only coming out for food/litter tray when we weren’t there. When they started peeping their noses out we coaxed them with toys and eventually they stopped going back there. Those kittens ended up wild, confident and cuddly madams in the end

[IceCreamIScream]

Oh that's so lovely and reassuring to hear Thingvellir
We know she's come down since this morning (less food and sooty paw prints!) But she's back up there again. Tempted to put the baby monitor in the room so we can see when she's down so we can head in and block the chilmney up!

[DumbledoresApprentice]

Happened to us when we got our rescue. We’ve blocked the entrance to the chimney with chicken wire now to keep her out. She had to be showered when she came out though. The soot can be toxic so I didn’t want her licking it all off. We didn’t have any cat shampoo in the house but a quick google suggested that fairy liquid was the most appropriate thing to wash her with that we had in the house. Good luck, hope she comes out soon and that she’s not too miffed about being washed.

[DumbledoresApprentice]

Mine wasn’t shy, just bloody nosy.

[IceCreamIScream]

She came down last night and DH blocked the chimney with cardboard but when he came down to give her food she bolted straight up again- totally dislodging his chimney blocking attempts! Chicken wire shall be bought today!
But relieved she came down and ate.
Next time she comes down cleaning is clearly the order of the day.
Who thought the cat would be harder to tame than my toddler?! (Don't worry toddler not being allowed near cat yet!)