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Cat rescued from tall Northshore tree

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by Jill Hezeau / Eyewitness News

Posted on December 28, 2009 at 7:39 PM

Updated Wednesday, Dec 30 at 12:41 AM

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NEAR SLIDELL, La. – A cat that had been trapped high in a thin pine tree about 75 feet above the ground for about a week was rescued early Tuesday morning by a professional climber.

Following the rescue, the cat was taken to Lakeshore Veterinary Hospital where it was treated for dehydration, but otherwise looked to be in good condition.

Ron Hastings, a veteran climber, was contacted by the Humane Society of Louisiana about attempting to free the cat following a report on WWL-TV Monday night.

Hastings began his ascent around 8 a.m. and as he approached the cat, it scampered to the highest point in the tree and onto a flimsy branch.

Hastings said the cat was obviously scared and was meowing a lot and making noises he said he’d never heard from a cat before. As he tried to go higher into the tree, Hastings realized the branches at the top of the tree wouldn’t support his weight.

At that point a “catch pole” which is a long device with a circular end that is often used to capture wild dogs, was sent up to him by rope.

With explicit direction from the Humane Society, Hastings was eventually able to get the cat into the device and into a kennel or “pet taxi,” which was then lowered to the ground.

The rescue took about 45 minutes, which Hastings said was longer than he expected.

He told Jill Hezeau that his biggest fear was that the cat would try to jump and injure itself.

In the report on WWL-TV Monday night, several experts talked about the dangers of trying to rescue the cat, but Hastings said he has climbed hundreds of trees, many taller than this one and has rescued dozens of cats.

After being rescued out of the Slidell tree, the cat was taken to a Mandeville Animal Hospital.

Dr. Lee Capone of Lakeshore Veterinary Hospital said the cat tested positive for a feline immune deficiency disease. The disease is not uncommon among cats that live in the wild. Capone said he believes this cat may have at one time been a house pet who ran away and has been living in the wild.

Jeff Dorson of the Humane Society of Louisiana said they expect to adopt the animal out, but the cat's illness means it will have special needs.

The Humane Society is looking for donations to help pay for medical care.

If you want to help or need adoption information, call (888) 6-HUMANE, or log on to HumaneLA.org.

 

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marmax81 said on December 28, 2009 at 7:32 PM

They sound like they're AFRAID of the poor cat!! It's been up there 7 days, how much fight could it have in it??? Couldn't they put something underneath the tree to cushion a fall?? This is so heartbreaking....It's going to be sooo cold tonight...

bonnietheriot said on December 28, 2009 at 8:34 PM

I had a cat that did this once. He was up their for 3 days. I went to the nearest fire station to speak to the fireman. They came buy, but didn't have a tall enough ladder. So what I did, I talked the cat down. I continued to call him over and over again with eye contact. Slowly after a few minutes he came down to a branch that was about 15 feet high. Then i grabbed a long pole and shook him down on the opposite end that he was on. However, you would think after 7 days, that he would be down by this time. Hopefully, the cat will figure it out.

tigersaints said on December 28, 2009 at 8:40 PM

I only hope that the cat will be able to get down soon. They better find a way to get him/her down. Mar.. you haven't been around cats too often, have you? When they are scared, hungry and cold, they will do anything that they think in their mind is a predator. They will have a lot of fight within them if they have conserved the energy for it. Mind you, this cat probably would be using its feral instincts just trying to survive.

trevor8 said on December 28, 2009 at 8:46 PM

Set up a BBQ pit under the tree...have a good cook out. When the cat smells those hamburgers and steaks he will come down.

cbeauty said on December 28, 2009 at 9:04 PM

Trevor8 idea might work. I was thinking about a sleeping dart and a net to catch the cat when it falls. When the cat wake up all is well.

michelle1031 said on December 28, 2009 at 9:28 PM

cbeauty...I was just thinking the same thing...Wonder why they haven't done that yet....Its been 7 days, and its supposed to be so cold tonight...Poor cat!!!

cant42 said on December 28, 2009 at 9:33 PM

Me and some friends rescued a cat once that was up a pine tree around 32 feet in the air. We parked my full-size van under the tree and put a twenty foot ladder on top of the van and I climbed up to the cat. The poor cat was so scared that he was glad to see me and I grabbed him and put him on my shoulder which he latched on to and I continued down the ladder using both hands and that cat never moved or fought. This cat will never come down on his own, I hope someone can figure out something humane.

bluewater said on December 28, 2009 at 9:33 PM

I am so sorry for the cat...but if this is the best headlines to come up with there has to be issues with wwl or just call the city of new orleans, they have money to waste. Get for real, it's a wild cat, after 7 days, it would attach you like never before. Besides, if it got there, it can get down, it will be dead soon on its own will....if ti falls, it will at least land on its feet (wiith a few broken paws).. Just saying there is too much time spent on this VS the TRUE news ongoing in the city

mrsperkins667 said on December 28, 2009 at 9:36 PM

take away the dogs that are terrifying the poor thing. then keep people away so they don't scare or upset the cat. then put out some cat food cans. he/she will come down only when it feels safe and comfortable. if it is a stray it has claws, so it CAN get down. it just isn't probably because of the fear of the dogs, people, trucks, cameras, noise, whatever. i understand how cats get when they are afraid and it is only made worse after days of hunger, cold, and more fear. leave it alone and it will get down. please

alrom said on December 28, 2009 at 10:12 PM

I know the answer,we had the same problem. Get everyone away from the tree and put food under it. The cat will come down !

douggondogo said on December 28, 2009 at 10:14 PM

This happened to our cat when I was a kid in Baton Rouge. She scaled one of the trees in our back yard and was up there for several days. My mother rented a cherry picker. I went up with the guy and he used a net (with a handle) to grab the cat. It worked, and as soon as we reached the ground, he opened the net and she high-tailed it to the bedroom. If you were to try to grab the cat with your hands, it could get dicey, but the net kept the cat from scratching us.

amiller said on December 28, 2009 at 10:19 PM

If he get's down I will gladly adopt him.

iibad4u said on December 28, 2009 at 10:47 PM

breaking news!!! cat stuck in a tree

humanela said on December 28, 2009 at 11:25 PM

We will be attempting to rescue the cat tomorrow morning with a professional tree climber. Due to the rescue being very dangerous and the site being very high and no lighting in the area we were forced to wait until daybreak to scale the tree. The cat will be transferred to a veterinary hospital for treatment and subsequently transferred to our shelter. Thank you for your concern and you can always report an incident like this or animal cruelty and fighting at our website http://humanela.org. Humane Society of Louisiana http://humanela.org

dina123 said on December 28, 2009 at 11:28 PM

hi I am the little girl from the newscast. I want to thank eveyrone for your response and replys. Unfortunately, the cat is still in the tree 75-100 feet . I do not want anyone anyone to risk your life. The cat now is in 20 degrees weather after 7 days of being trapped. I feel now that it is hopeless , Thank everyone for trying and offering your experience and thoughts. Dina123

dina123 said on December 28, 2009 at 11:50 PM

PLEASE LOOK AT DINA123 !! I

dina123 said on December 28, 2009 at 11:57 PM

Please continue any hope. Dina123

cant42 said on December 29, 2009 at 12:05 AM

to Dina123 - do not give up sweetie, hopefully the cat is strong and will survive tonight and tomorrow there will be an attempt to rescue it. You are a wonderful young girl with a big heart. However this turns out you did what you could.

angel777 said on December 29, 2009 at 12:08 AM

i allso thought about putting the cat to sleep with adart or whatever they call it shoot it into the cat and put him to sleep and have a firemans net or something to catch the cat with,thats easy to do, right?i belive it will work,after all they catch people like that? right?like they do at a fire,why didit they think about that they suspossed to know what to do, right,so whats the problem people?malvina, ps. just do it, o.k.?.

angel777 said on December 29, 2009 at 12:22 AM

i had heard a long time ago, that cats, when they go up a tree,they cant come back down.because of their claws toe nails,they just dont know how? i guess,they can climb up hook nails it to the bark of the tree on the the way up but they cant seem to figuire how to come back the other way back? maybe some cats are smart to figuire it out?a seasoned older cat?that knows the trick, will come down,?, so long for now, malvina,

exfire said on December 29, 2009 at 12:55 AM

Come on people...the cat WILL come down by it's self...when was the last time you saw CAT'S SKELETONS IN A TREE...

psychohurricane said on December 29, 2009 at 2:33 AM

I Know a Tree Climber From River Ridge "Chief" Who Could Climb That tree Blindfolded. Other than That How about a 24/7 We the Animal lovers Hold Blankets Down Below Just In Case. Pretend It"s Your Mother Up There Rescue Peeps And Im Willing To Bet you come Up With something And Kitty Comes Home safe Ok ;D

macarpen said on December 29, 2009 at 5:39 AM

Cats, bears and other animals are genetically built to climb trees (in order to escape predators, or to follow prey as it tries to get away), so therefore this cat could get down if it wanted to. However, with that said, cats have very little short term memories (long term memories are normal, but their short term memories are poor) so this cat may genuinely not remember how it got up there to get back down. Personally, I think this cat probably has made this spot his home, and forages for food at night when there is nobody around. Otherwise, it would probably would be too weak to hold itself up there. Cats, even house pet cats, are biologically wild animals, and their "animal instincts" always will kick in at some point. This cat will be fine, I am sure, especially with so many people looking out for its best interest now. I say climb up there and put food for it and call it good :-)

tmclemore said on December 29, 2009 at 3:32 PM

After my husband risked his life getting our cat out of a tree. My Dad came by and asked a question that made sense. How many dead cats have you seen in trees ?

cronus said on December 29, 2009 at 4:03 PM

finally, uplifting news. meow

xwordfiend said on December 29, 2009 at 5:28 PM

Hooray for Ron Hastings. For the dingbats asking why you don't see dead cats or cat skeletons in trees -- that misses the point. It is entirely possible that a cat would eventually get so weak or freaked out that it would fall from the tree and get seriously injured or killed when it hit the ground.

popseal said on December 29, 2009 at 6:23 PM

My hunting dogs chased a friends cat way, way up a pine tree many years ago. I put the dogs in the pen and the cat was easily "talked down". The cat in this Northshore tree was probably a dunce.

bluerunner said on December 29, 2009 at 7:21 PM

Why is this even a news story?

cbeauty said on December 29, 2009 at 9:04 PM

bluerunner It is kitty news. It better then all the news about killing.

happymeal said on February 28, 2010 at 6:37 PM

People, they said the cat has aids. Now, that's news.