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?

so cat came back down all by itself eh? Who would have thought that

They do usually. My feeling is: if the cat can get up, the cat can get down.

Can't believe you got reported!!! I'm glad the RSPCA were entirely sensible about it all.

Hope you can relax and focus on your prgnancy now... [hsmile]

sorry...

Glad your cat is home, no surprises, a cat climbed down a tee of its own accord! How unfortunate that your neighbours are suck fuckwits.

So pleased she's back!

Glad your cat is back home.
When I was young I had a lovely cat who got stuck up a tree in the back garden opposite us. We left him for a few days as we thought he'd come down on his own (after trying to tempt him down etc) but started to get worried so my dad climbed up the tree just as he got to him the little sod ran down the other side

at suck fuckwits!!!

Rosieeo I would like to apologise for the tone of my posts last night. I was angry at the RSPCA for suggesting anyone leaves a 14yr old cat stuck up a tree for 5 days (still am, actually) and as the thread went on, I became annoyed at what I saw as a blasé attitude towards the situation.

However, none of that is your problem...it's entirely mine so I'm sorry for my reaction.

Glad the cat is home safely

I don't quite get why they didn't just get the cat when they put the food up...

People get wierd about other people's cats. My v fit and healthy 9 yr old cat begs to go out, then begs to come in.

Once he went out and was away for a couple of hours. I do not worry as he just plays in back gardens and it was spring and he had itchy paws...He then sits on my bathroom window and miaouws till I let him in.(No cat flap). However, this particular night I went to bed so was about midnight when I got up to let him in, no problem.

But a neighbour decided to take it upon herself (I assume was a woman, don't know why) to send me an annonymous letter, through the post and everything telling me what an irresponsible owner I was for letting my cat out after 11.00pm(should he have a curfew?) and what a terrible mother I must be to my two DCs and she hopes I treat them better than this etc,etc.
Twas a v nasty letter and imo totally stupid, but obv her feelings about my cat were strong enough for her to feel justified!

p.s., really glad your cat home safe and sound!

Sorry, can I just ask - has anyone suggested a Facebook campaign?

Glad the cat is back OP. So you followed the advice from those inexperienced animal haters the RSPCA and it worked? What are the chances...

And sorry to go on but 40 ft is 12 metres high.

12 metres

Just thought that may need reiterating.

Years ago I was at a yard and the owners told me a story about just how useless the RSPCA is.

There was a field not far away in which lived 5 or so horses. They were skeletal. Shambling toast racks. The field was grazed bare. The RSPCA came out eventually, after numerous calls from various people. But they wouldn't do anything. Because the horses were "seen to be fed". What this meant was that a bloke used to visit the field once a week and give the horses a slice of hay. Not a bale - a SLICE. A small section. Between 5 horses. That's the equivalent of feeding a person one meal a week - probably far less.

But, said the pompous, jobsworth pricks - "The horses are seen to be fed."

The people at the yard I worked at the yard got to know all this because it was their lorry that ended up being used to transport the carcasses out of the field.

Nice one Worra , s'not normally like you.

serenity, I sort of assumed that this was what they were trying to do with the bowl of food, by attempting to emtice the cat down...and ended up making the situation worse by trying to help

To all those accusing this poor lady of cruelty - it's a cat! Í wouldn't ask my husband or friend (male or female) to go high without safety equipment. Yes it is very sad, I don't like to think of any animal suffering but I'd not risk the safety of a person. Chances are if someone went up after her she'd only climb higher, as has already happened. What if someone did manage to reach her- 30/forty feet up by now and the poor cat lashed out in fear - the result could be horrific. So a bit of perspective here- come on all you flamers - it's a cat! If she can climb up, she can climb down. She probably will eventually and if not then the 5 days will have passed and the fire service, who of course, sit about without anything better to do at this time of year than go up trees after animals will come and sort it........

So which animal charity would you all contact to rescue an animal in trouble then?

That's a ridiculous assertion. Where do you get your information from, and do you have any statistics to back it up? Or is it just hearsay, which tends to disregard all the positive hard work in favour of negative stories?

For the rest of the small incidents where animals are still suffering regardless, they do not give a shit and WILL NOT HELP.

Thinking about it, if I'd been in the same position as the OP I'd have organised a pile of something as a soft landing under the cat, and utilised a Super Soaker.

Oh yes - such fuckwits just didn't quite capture their true fuckwittedness in the way that SUCK FUCKWITS clearly does :) Not a typo at alllllll.

you just wouldn't believe it - now three of my neighbours are now stuck up a tree.

i have tried encouraging them down with booze and fags but they seem a bit scared.

I'll wait 5 days then call the local dog pound.

Poppadum - it is different for humans. Protocol is to shoot them down.

funnily enough, poppadom, I really didn't read it as a typo...I just thought you were going for a really forceful description which sums the old bags up perfectly

Manatee but do you start a FB campaign before you shoot them - surely that would only be fair?