Call animal control or your city’s non-emergency line first, then a tree service or arborist. Many fire departments will not come, but policies vary.
Who to call first
Start with your local animal control office, or your police or fire non-emergency number, and ask who handles a cat in a tree in your town. If they will not come, call a tree service or a certified arborist and ask if they will climb for a cat. Do not call 911 for the cat alone. Save 911 for a danger to people, such as someone stuck up the tree or a downed power line. The cat is not likely to be your only worry, either, because a good rescue depends on the height of the tree, the strength of the branches and whether wires are close. Say: There’s a cat about 30 feet up a tree at this address. It has been there since last night. Who handles this here?
Fire departments vary a lot
There is no national rule, so your town’s answer may differ from your neighbor’s. The City of Kirksville, Missouri says its fire department does not respond to animals in distress unless a human is at risk. A 2024 KY3 report said the Springfield, Missouri department will not rescue a cat in a tree. In Bangor, Maine, a fire captain said in 2012 that the department had a policy of not going and sent callers to the humane society or animal control officer, because the calls were tying up resources. But Burlington, Vermont firefighters have used a ladder truck to bring down a calico cat. So check your own city’s website, or ask the non-emergency line, and do not assume based on a story you saw online.
How long to wait
Sources disagree, and we found no study that settles this. Kirksville tells residents that cats will self-rescue when conditions are favorable, and to leave food and water at the base and go away. The UK charity Cats Protection says cats usually manage to get down when there is a safe route, and that you should get help after more than 24 hours. Canopy Cat Rescue, a Washington group of tree-climbing rescuers, calls the idea that a cat will come down when ready a myth, and warns that severe dehydration can cause kidney failure. That is practitioner advice. A reasonable middle: give a healthy adult cat a quiet few hours, and start making calls by the next morning. Call sooner for a kitten, an injured cat, or bad weather.
Why cats get stuck
Cats climb well and descend badly. Cats Protection explains that their claws curve in a way that makes it hard to grip bark on the way down, and they cannot rotate their back feet the way a squirrel can. Their usual exit is to jump, which does not work from high up. Canopy Cat Rescue says the only safe way down without help is backward, and that cats are often unwilling to do it. That is why a cat may climb higher instead of lower. A dog, a crowd or a stranger on a ladder can push it further up. So your first job is to reduce the pressure and not add to it.
What to do while you wait
Bring dogs inside and send onlookers away. Take a photo, note the time it went up, and keep a loose eye on the tree from a distance. If the cat is yours and you are calm, stand below for a while and speak quietly, then give it some space. Cats Protection warns that agitation can frighten a cat further. Advice on food is split: Kirksville suggests food and water at the base, while Canopy Cat Rescue warns that food can attract the predators that chased the cat up. If predators are a concern, skip it, or bring the bowl in at night. Do not shake the tree, spray it with a hose, or throw things. Republic, Missouri’s fire chief told KY3 that if a cat jumps, it is probably not going to be a good outcome.
Leave the climbing to someone trained
Do not climb after the cat, and be careful with ladders. A branch may not hold you, and the Republic chief noted that even firefighters cannot be sure a branch will support a ladder’s weight. The Electrical Safety Foundation International says to stay at least 10 feet from overhead power lines, and that applies to you, your ladder and any pole. If the tree or the cat is near wires, stay away, and tell your utility and the climber before anyone starts. If a line is down, stay at least 35 feet away and call 911. A cornered cat may also claw and bite. If that happens, wash the wound with soap and water right away and get medical advice, especially if it is a cat you do not know.
Hiring a tree professional
Search for local tree services, and use the International Society of Arboriculture’s Find an Arborist directory at treesaregood.org. Listing there is voluntary, so some good climbers will not appear, and certification covers tree care, not cat handling. So ask: Do you do animal rescues? Will you climb, or do you use a lift? Do you have insurance? What will it cost before you start? Local rescue groups often know who has done this before. In Washington state, Canopy Cat Rescue takes donations for its rescues, and similar volunteer groups exist elsewhere, so ask your shelter. Get a carrier ready at the base, because the climber may hand the cat down in a bag or pillowcase and it will want to bolt.
After the cat is down
Put the cat in a carrier or a closed room. Call your vet for advice if it fell, was up for more than a day, or seems weak, and say how long it was up. If it is not your cat, check for a collar and ask a vet or shelter to scan for a microchip, then ask around, because a cat that climbs in a strange place may be someone’s lost pet.
Sources
City of Kirksville 311: kirksville.gov/311/knowledgebase/article/21357. KY3, 2024: ky3.com/2024/02/01/fact-finders-will-fire-department-rescue-cat-tree. Bangor Daily News, 2012: bangordailynews.com/2012/02/21/bangor/firefighters-ask-residents-to-call-elsewhere-to-report-chronic-tree-climbing-cat. ABC22 and FOX44, Burlington firefighters: mychamplainvalley.com/news/local-news/burlington-firefighters-rescue-cat-from-tree/amp. Cats Protection, why cats get stuck up trees: cats.org.uk/cats-blog/why-do-cats-get-stuck-up-trees. KUOW, on Canopy Cat Rescue: kuow.org/stories/so-your-cat-stuck-tree-again-here-s-what-do. Electrical Safety Foundation International: esfi.org/electrical-safety-outside-the-home-overhead-power-lines. CDC, rabies: cdc.gov/rabies/about/index.html. ISA Find an Arborist: treesaregood.org/findanarborist/findanarborist.