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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Or are these women just ... argg??

301 replies

Rosieeo · 10/12/2011 23:09

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?

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 11/12/2011 00:00

I'm not on Facebook and I'm not prepared to put people (who are not accustomed to climbing ladders) in danger for my cat

You're missing the point

If you join Facebook (it'll take around 3 minutes) then you can start a facebook page asking for help.

No-one's going to offer to help if they're unaccustomed to climbing ladders or don't feel confident are they?

Sorry, but it seems you need everything people are saying to you spelled out.

Do you actually care that your 14yr old family pet could freeze to death up a tree for five days and nights?

£500 could be nothing compared to a vets bill if you don't act soon.

Crabapple99 · 11/12/2011 00:00

obviously y ou care about yur cart, otherwise you wouldn't be posting here, but I think other people love animals and care too, and it is an upsetting situation, that is why they aer getting upset, don't take it personally, U'm sure you are doing everything you can.

Original poster
Rosieeo · 11/12/2011 00:03

I suppose there are two answers to that:

  1. Because I'm cruel and a BAD PERSON.
  2. How do you know I haven't?
OP posts:
WhoopsyLa · 11/12/2011 00:05

The cat will be dehydrated soon...I appreciate that you can't do anything right now...but if you come back to the thread tomorrow then we would be happy to help (speaks for MN generally!) I know people on here would try to get a cherry pcker for you...or something else.

pickledparsnip · 11/12/2011 00:05

Think the OP is being treated rather harshly, "I'm starting to think these women may have a point" "you seem a bit lazy." Fucking hell!

pickledparsnip · 11/12/2011 00:06

Squeaky she clearly does give a shit, hence the thread.

squeakytoy · 11/12/2011 00:08

All I can say is, if I had a cat stuck up in a tree, and there were numerous posters all giving me suggestions, I would be grateful and thanking them, not ignoring them or dismissing their suggestions without any good reason.

Your attitude says a lot about you on this thread I'm afraid.

I cant bear to see animal suffering unnecessarily and if it were me I would have been doing whatever I could to get my cat out of that tree. I would have been posting a thread on here 3 days ago asking what I could do if I was as clueless as you seem to be. There would probably have been plenty of offers of help, as there have been on here tonight, and your cat could have been safe and warm, not freezing in icy winds up a sodding tree.

WhoopsyLa · 11/12/2011 00:08

Look here cat rescued with cherry picker

and parsnip people are annoyed that OP isn't' responding to any suggestions at all...only coming up with vague reasons why things can't be done.

WhoopsyLa · 11/12/2011 00:09

parsnip the title of the thread was more about how unreasonable the women were...and a good chunk of it was anger at them!

Gentleness · 11/12/2011 00:10

You are not being unreasonable to be irritated at those women who could have TOLD you they had access to a ladder and offered to help.

You are not being unreasonable to be irritated at people telling you you are being lazy. I am Shock at people having more concern for the cat than you or your partner, or thinking that paying £500 to the fire brigade for a fake emergency is a sensible solution. Goodness me. And exactly why would you be expected to know that some people regard the RSPCA as questionable.

FairyOnTheXmasTreeMcFlouncer · 11/12/2011 00:11

My brother is a tree surgeon - sadly we're at the wrong end of the country but he may know someone closer to you -perhaps they have a 'network' or something! If you have no solution by tomorrow message me and I will give him a call.

WhoopsyLa · 11/12/2011 00:13

No Gentleness people have offered other solutions or did you not read the whole thread???

WorraLiberty · 11/12/2011 00:14

Squeaky she clearly does give a shit, hence the thread

Big shit Hmm

The cat's been stuck up a tree for 3 days and 3 nights and she starts a thread from the warmth and comfort of her own home, to moan about some concerned women.

Original poster
Rosieeo · 11/12/2011 00:15

I have tried, we've been out since we found her up the tree. We've rang the people you're supposed to ring and done as we've been told. If, as I'm told, the RSPCA are shit, I'll start ringing round in the morning. I have acknowledged suggestions, although I haven't rang the dailies yet. Maybe the Mail would be interested if I sold it as animal cruelty.

Whilst I appreciate that many posters have a lot of love for animals, it clearly doesn't extend to people.

OP posts:
squeakytoy · 11/12/2011 00:15

Exactly worra.. the thread was a moan about concerned neighbours, not asking advice on the poor old moggy. :(

Original poster
Rosieeo · 11/12/2011 00:16

Thanks Fairy :)

OP posts:
Maryz · 11/12/2011 00:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AgentZigzag · 11/12/2011 00:18

'Whoopsy, I had SPD, I'd still have made it up a few feet of ladder to see if the cat would come down for me...given that it's more likely to come down for its owner. It would have hurt and I'd have paid for it even more later on like.'

You're telling an 8 months pregnant woman to get herself up a ladder tabula, you've definately got it a bit out of perspective.

I was unstable because of the weight distrubution even on a level surface, and would have told anyone where they could get off who thought I should be up a fucking ladder at 8 months big.

You would have put yourself and your baby at risk trying to rescue a (however much loved) cat, not everyone would take the same decision.

AgentZigzag · 11/12/2011 00:19

'Exactly worra.. the thread was a moan about concerned neighbours, not asking advice on the poor old moggy.'

Agree with that though squeaky Sad

smartyparts · 11/12/2011 00:20

Wise words ZigZag Smile

jade80 · 11/12/2011 00:22

Try a tree surgeon, they will have climbing gear. A quick google search shows arbtalk as a forum for tree surgeons, try joining and putting in a plea for someone local to you to help out?

SantasStrapon · 11/12/2011 00:22

It's not a 'fake' emergency. That's a live animal, an old live animal, stuck up a tree in the middle of winter. And it's fucking cold in Yorkshire, it's fucking cold where I am, next county down. I'd be amazed if a 14 year old cat survives up a tree for 5 days in this weather.

There's been plenty of offers to help on this thread. Hopefully, OP will follow them up and get it sorted in the morning.

And I'll second the RSPCA being a bunch of useless, money grabbing cunts. They won't turn up unless you manage to get a tv crew in for them.

Original poster
Rosieeo · 11/12/2011 00:24

I have had so-called professional advice on the 'poor old moggy'.

Yes, my annoyance was at the implication that I would transfer my inability to keep my cat our of trees to my child. Silly me.

OP posts:
Original poster
Rosieeo · 11/12/2011 00:25

*out

OP posts:
Gentleness · 11/12/2011 00:26

Whoopsy - yes I did and that is why I didn't suggest she should be irritated with those posters. See - it's all in the reading Wink.

Grin at selling the story to the Mail Rosieeo...