Or are these women just ... argg??

[Rosieeo]

My cat is up a very tall, thin tree behind our house and has been there for three days now. She's 14 and very timid.

We realised she was missing after 24 hours (she is often out overnight) and went looking for her. She wasn't hard to find but will not come down. We've tried food, water, pusspusspussing. She just sits there and mews. So I rang the RSPCA who said that cats up trees normally come down within five days and that they wouldn't call the firemen till then. I mentioned the cold and they said that they'd send someone to assess but not to worry. A woman came out and said to keep encouraging her but that she would come down and if she didn't they would arrange something. Not to try to get to her. Fair enough, I thought.

Fast forward 24 hours and a woman from around the corner and her two friends come to the door. Is that my cat and what's going on? So I explain. They wanted to know why we hadn't tried to get her down. I explained. They asked why I hadn't put ladders up to get her. I'm eight months pregnant, which I thought might speak for itself. So I started to get annoyed, told them to leave it and shut the door.

This morning I went out to the cat and she's 10 foot higher than she was before. Perched in the branches where she was the night before is a bowl, I presume of food.

Midday, the women come round again. All of them. Why haven't I got the cat out of the tree? I pointed out that they had actually forced her further up the tree. Well at least we tried, they said, why haven't I called 999? Because it's not an emergency and costs 500 quid. Wouldn't it be worth it? They ask. Hmm. I told them not to knock again and to leave it to us and the RSPCA. And at this rate the bloody firemen.

As they were leaving, one of them said (very loudly and deliberately) "I feel sorry for her baby if that's how she treats her cat."

Am I being unreasonable to feel somewhat aggrieved?

No, it involved a large straying animal that had already been hit by one car, and was in danger of being hit by others. The police dealt with it in that instance, there was a lot of criticism locally of the RSPCA. They roadblocked, but the RSPCA wouldn't come out and deal with the animal. A vet came out in the end.

If the RSPCA had come out when initially requested, the animal had gone back onto common land and could have been dealt with before it caused another minor accident.

It's not the first time, or the last time I've known the RSPCA to refuse to come out to a neglected, distressed or injured animal. They are the last people I'd turn to for help, and I think it is incredibly wrong and misleading that they a) still have Royal patronage, and b) appear on television showing themselves rescuing seagulls and other animals they wouldn't consider if they didn't have the cameras with them.

I'd be sorely tempted to knock on these women's doors for a little talk.

just wanted to add my support to Op, as a fellow cat lover and owner of a very young 16 year old cat.

What a lot of bollocks got posted last night!

hope your cat comes home soon

I would reply to that note telling them that their actions pushed the cat further up the tree and now you don't know where she is at all! So thanks for that. Share some of that blame around op, it must be a heavy load to carry alongside being 8 months pregnant. Mind you I would have told them where to go when the horrible comment about your baby was said. Really hope your cat turns up soon.

Unless you know why they couldn't come out, maybe give them the benefit of the doubt? I mentioned earlier the size of the areas covered and at weekends numbers of staff are hugely reduced. It may be that the nearest officer was too far away to deal and a vet or the police, being closer, were the more humane option.

Also, if you tie up the officers with each straying animal on the off chance that it might get hurt or hurt something else, nothing else would get done. Have you ever tried to catch a healthy deer? I'm presuming it was a deer. Don't know why!

Sorry, that was to Sarah.

santastrapon
when you and I are being the reasonable ones in a bunfight than mnet has gone weird

I do think in this case the op required the help of the "cavelry" as quite a few of the suggestions would have put the cats life and it's rescuers in danger.

Sarah has said it twice now, the RSPCA are all over the media and ingrained in society as the people to call when animals are in danger. Not everyone knows how hot and miss they are with animal rescue. Yelling at the op through the night that she shouldn't have called them
was bloody mean.

I really hope puss comes back soon and hasnt been knocked out the treeby people well intentioned interfering.

rumple

We have two local RSPCA centres and great coverage here. Equally a friend in Yorkshire was a volunteer and the area they covered was huge, the area had no dog warden either.

I think simply response is down to resources

It was a deer, but it had already been hit by a car, it had broken a leg. It needed putting out of it's misery and was endangering lives as it was on common land next to a fairly busy road. It then ran back into the road and cause 2 cars to hit each other. This was over the course of 3-4 hours.

In the end, the police shot it. It was mid-week, both the police and the vets I rang said it was an RSPCA case.

I know Honey. It's another one for Pags The End of the World is Nigh thread.

The only thing I would have suggested was the radio station - they live this sort of thing.

Am pretty shocked at some of the responses.

However am gobsmacked that someone's washing line is 40 ft high. I live in a 3 storey house and I don't think it's quite 40 foot

Cat is home! She was under a bush in the field behind the tree, was enticed out with salmon and is currently curled up on the sofa looking rather pleased with herself/all the attention she's getting. So relieved! She seems none the worse for her experience, but we're going to nip to the vets tomorrow. Whew!

The RSPCA did send someone out to assess. A very nice lady. She said that the tree would make any kind of rescue difficult and that they inevitably failed. She felt that the cat would come down, and she did. She was very reasonable, as were the people I spoke to on the phone. I'm not disappointed with their response.

However, I am wondering whether these women have really reported me or if they're just trying to wind me up, which seems a bit daft. And what the RSPCA will do if they have contacted them. So I'm still a bit argg.

Thanks Lollopy :) No, the tree is just behind our back garden near the pavement/road so they weren't on our property.. The field is on the other side of the road, she must have just dashed over there to hide, the daft animal.

I hope your cat comes home. Do you think the neighbours may have taken it?

Lovely! So glad she's home.

[packs away rescue plan and press release]

Xpost, great news.

Glad that your feline friend is home

I'd contact the lady that came to see you (from the RSPCA) to voice your concern about this threat, then at least someone relevant will have logged it should these women follow through with this threat. I'd still confront them though, or write a note if you're feeling wobbly about it.

They were Totally out of order , and I can completely sympathize with you.

Glad to hear the cat is home! They are quite good at worrying their servants... :)

SO pleased there's a happy ending (which I predicted on here last night )

And grateful for the huge laugh this thread had given me and my family. I have read them the highlights this morning and we're all falling about

Bit pointless them calling the RSPCA when you have been in contact with them from day one anyway.

I saw something in a paper a few weeks ago about a cat stuck on top of a 20ft cactus to get away from a coyote or something, the cat came down on it's own.

I've had cats jump from a first floor window and land perfectly fine on the ground so seeing one up a tree wouldn't concern me. If they can get up then they can get down.

Some of these responses have been ridiculous and I hope you, baby and cat are all ok op

I love a happy ending!

BTW I am pretty disgusted at some of the comments you received, quite un-necessary!

So pleased the cat is home. :)

In that case then Sarah, you are right that it should have been a job for the RSPCA, but again, only if the resources are there.
In my old area, the only person qualified and trained to use a dart rifle was a couple of hours away from my area, so could have been up to a 4 hour drive. Sometimes deer wardens will come and shoot them and normally a police marksman is a much quicker bet.

In case anyone is wondering, a deer on three legs is considerably faster than any human and attempts to catch them or round them up invariably end in more damage, shooting is often the only way.

I also never had the cameras on me, too ugly probably.

So glad the pesky cat is home Rosie!!

If a complaint was made giving the info you have given us, there is nothing to make an Insector attend.

The only way they would is if the complaint has been embellished or twisted.
Def contact the officer you saw if you have a contact number, but don't worry, you have done nothing wrong and even if someone came out, they'd see that.