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Vigil for stricken cat
Thursday 18th March 2010, 10:00AM GMT.
An attempt to rescue the cat ended in failure
Helen Coen, RSPCA spokeswoman, said years of experience had taught them that cats can panic and fall or even climb higher when rescue attempts are made.
But she said most cats find their own way down when they get hungry.
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If cat owners were responsible and exercised their cats on a lead, we wouldn’t have these absurd problems.
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Of course, cats on leads, how stupid us cat owners are not taking our cats on leads. And how, pray tell, are we supposed to stop them climbing trees on a lead? Or stop people’s dogs from chasing them? In case you hadn’t noticed, cats aren’t like dogs. Anyway if this one has been chased up there by dogs, how would having it on a lead help?
Poor cat, I hope she finds her way down safely very soon.
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If cats actually got off their lazy backsides and did a proper day’s work for once in their life, we wouldn’t have these absurd problems.
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It’s cats like this that give our country a bad name.
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Why on earth didn’t somebody ring the Fire Brigade? They would have come out and rescued the kitty with a ladder.
Hope the cat was ok after the ordeal.
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KB (#2) a lead is approximately 1.8m long (6 feet in old money) so I doubt that the cat would have been able to get 50ft up a tree.
Again, I implore sensible cat owners to be responsible! Exercise your cat with a leash.
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Oh the humanity.
I’m horrified to find puss all the way up the sycamore tree. As a cat lover I can only think about the poor owner. I’m beside myself wondering about the fate of this moggy. It is like a human climbing MOUNT EVEREST or something!!!?
What I recommend is the fire brigade. In the event that there are too many fires in town then I think people should congregate with bedsheets. Cats hate the rain so maybe we could fetch a hosepipe extension too!!!!
I bet a nasty dog scared the cat up the tree. It’s shocking what can happen when cats and dogs meet. It reminds me of the poem by E.H. Fothergay:
Dear puss, dear puss,
How I wish for your musk
Make a beeline for the feline
And together we must fuss
But the hounds chase you away
And the mice come out to play
And soon we will both will be put out to pasture,
Along with the Marigolds.
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if tree owners were responsible and grew trees downwards instead of upwards, again these absurd problems wouldn’t exist…. tsk.
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For reference, here’s my son, Peregrine, with his cat securely leashed whilst out and about:
http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l337/gouryella17/Peregrine.jpg
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Feel free to come round to my house and try putting leads on my 2 cats… I’ll happily supply the TCP to disinfect your hideous wounds and I’ll even drive you down to the hospital with your fingers preserved in a bag of frozen peas.
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It’s time someone spoke the truth. Cats are vermin. As spring approaches and the nesting season begins we will see the mayhem and genocide these monsters commit in our hedgerows, trees and gardens.
As cat ownership increases there is a corresponding decrease in our garden birds as they fall prey to a predator driven not by hunger but by bloodlust.
Bring back hunting but spare the fox and hunt the cat.
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I’m not keen on Peregrine’s expression in that photo. He’s clutching that cat lead with not inconsiderable menace. I hope the cat gave his consent.
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When your editor said, “Run with the meow meow story” I don’t think this is what they meant…
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Leave the thing alone it got up there it will get down, with all the do good animal rights brigade ect around the base of the tree why would it want to come down, all you are doing is making it afraidto come down leave it alone.
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So we have muppetts who want to use the fire service to rescue a cat??????????????, and we have people such as AC who admit to having dangerous cats.And low and behold a mad person who wants to get people to stand around under the tree with sheets, I think the cat went up there looking for its owner as clearly from this post site cat owners are away with the fairies.
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Absurd as it sounds cats are required by law to be on leads in the country I now reside in. They all seem to be fine as they are used to it. They are also cerfewed 24hr per day so the only way the are allowed outside is on a lead.
All of the signs on beaches and parkland state that “Dogs and Cats must be on a lead”
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To all the braindead idiots telling cat owners to walk their cats on leads. Use your heads, if someone was walking their cat on a lead, it would have NO Means of escape from the legion of dogs NOT on leads. Where I live there are constantly vicious dogs walking around not on leads, to walk any of our cats on leads would be a death sentence for our cats. Yeah you could just let the lead go if a dog chases it, but that lead could VERY easily become caught on something trapping the cat and making it a very easy target for the dog.
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Is it down yet, i can’t handle the exitement anymore..
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I do not know where Rob (#13) lives but in my area, I have never seen dogs running loose.
Leads are essential. Without leads, cats end up on my property, displaying their filthy habits in my antirrhinums.
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@17, Lighten up Rob, i think its fair to say it was meant as a bit of a joke..
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I can not belive you wasted a front page on this artical, Surley the are more important issues going on in shropshire,
I am sure this breaking headline will give you newspaper of the year again!!!!!
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Here’s hoping.
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I love when cat stories are run – all the dog owning cat haters come out to play – who knew cats were responsible for all but world famine?
I like the article Mr. Owen but then I’m a compassionate person when it comes to the plight of someone child’s beloved pet – has the cat been saved yet?
PS Nadia@13 – v. funny, like it lol!
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“KB (#2) a lead is approximately 1.8m long (6 feet in old money) so I doubt that the cat would have been able to get 50ft up a tree.”
All I have to say abotu this is extendable leads.
As for ex county man – which is it? Cats on leads or cats curfewed 24/7? Logically, it can’t be both therfore you are talking rot with one or other statement.
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KB (#24): I do not recommend an extendible lead. Indeed, a good quality 1.8m leash is sufficient, coupled with a leather muzzle.
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Its Down….
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#15. Lol, “Dangerous cat”?! A few scratches doesn’t constitute “dangerous” does it? When was the last time you read a news article about a cat mauling a toddler to death?
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#27: AC, You claimed you would drive us down to the hospital with fingers in a frozen bag !!sounds dangerous to me, unless you have 6 fingers on each hand and maybe do you a favour!! keep going Peasbody, id vote for you in any election !The bloody riff raff need sorting out !
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I am glad the cat is down, the real question remains about the dogs running loose on the park. There are notices about them being on leads but they are ignored, I have had one jump at me and I know a lady that was knocked down by one but nothing is ever done about that problem!
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I thought the RSPCA response to this was pathetic! I will never give money to them again I will find a different animal charity.
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Thank you Shropshire Star, this amusing tale makes a change. Cats on leads????, why not send them to Hereford to 23 S.A.S. for a course in low altitude low opening jumps, problem solved and it would create jobs for people making feline descent devices for them. Why am I not the P.M.
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Answer is a well aimed shotgun works every time!
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It was only up there so nobody could disturb it finalising its plans for world domination, because, as we all know, cats are evil and plotting to take over the world! Have you all not seen the film Cats and Dogs?! It was probably looking down on all those silly people keeping vigil and plotting all the evil things it would like to do to them…
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Is it down yet? Can you please publish a follow up story? I can’t sleep for thinking about the poor little blighter.
I actually think this was a great front page story. Not everything in Shropshire is death and destruction. We’ll all reach our maker soon enough. No point dwelling on the bad things. Even if one leg is a bit gammy near the knee the other will still work. Walking with a stick isn’t the worst thing in the world! I could be stuck up a tree!!?!
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