Oldham cat rescued from 60ft tree after marathon three-day standoff

The nine-month-old kitten who got herself stuck in a tree, then outwitted her rescue attempts for three days, was eventually brought back down to earth in a tree surgeon’s net.

Much loved family pet Pixie, had only been let out of the house five days before she got herself in a spot of bother.

She had snuck up a 60-foot (18.2m) tree in Hollinwood, Oldham before realising that she couldn’t get down.

Brave neighbours tried to come to the rescue of Tabby-coloured Pixie by reaching her with a ladder, but unfortunately, this just forced her to climb up even higher.

As she disappeared out of view, they decided to call in the RSPCA.

RSPCA animal rescue officer Lee Ferrans showed up to assess the situation, before deciding the cat was too high up.

He then called in the team from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

At this point, Pixie could barely be seen because she was so high up.

Speaking to I Love Manchester about the three-day-stand off, Lee said:

“We left some food out for her on a branch overnight and I then returned the following day but it was pretty clear that after being up there at that height for about 72 hours, Pixie still wasn’t going to budge, so I decided the next port of call would be to try and find a local tree surgeon.”

Lee called in the heavy machinery from Oldham Based tree surgeons, Mad about Trees, who agreed to help and sent down arborist Stephen Jamieson and his two colleagues.

With the help of some specialist equipment they eventually hooked Pixie in a tree surgeon’s net, and brought back down to earth.

Lee continued: “We’re really grateful to Mad about Trees who were only too happy to help with Pixie’s predicament and kindly offered their time and expertise free of charge. Our thanks also go to the fire service for their assistance in situations like this – their help and support is always very much appreciated.

“She took her time, but it was a great moment when we reunited Pixie with her owner. She’s certainly used up one of her nine lives and maybe this might have put her off scaling such a tall tree in the

The RSPCA encourages owners to try and give their cats enough time to come down from trees on their own by trying to tempt them with smelly treats or by warming food a little to increase its odour.

It’s quite often the case that they’re not actually trapped, but scared or unsure and they often figure it out and end up making their own way down.

Every job is different though and it will depend on the age and health of the cat, whether it’s injured or physically caught in something and the weather conditions at the time. If rescue is attempted too early, cats will sometimes go higher or they may jump from tree to tree and put themselves at further risk of falling.