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Small animal rescue partnership

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Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service has teamed up with the RSPCA to resolve many small animal rescues that occur every year from cats behind walls to ducklings down drains. On receipt of a call our Control Centre will mobilise the nearest Rural Safety Officer. At the same time the RSPCA will send one of their Officers or Inspectors. Most small animal rescues will be dealt with swiftly and effectively using these specialists. They carry an assortment of equipment, used to extract small animals from the weird and wacky situations they find themselves in!

Cats up trees

If you ask someone what a firefighter's job involves they will probably reply, fires, road accidents and “cats up trees”! Before calling the Fire Service or RSPCA however, here are some important tips to consider:

At first

If the cat is healthy and the weather is fair, many years of experience have taught us that it is often better to leave the cat because an early rescue attempt may scare it and cause the cat to climb higher or panic it and cause it to fall.
A panicking cat is also far more dangerous to rescuers.

What should I do?

Put some food and water at the bottom of the tree.
Give it some time to find its own way down.
There is an old saying in the Fire Service that “You’ll never see the skeleton of a cat up a tree!” Most cats will come down of their own accord given time.

When should I ask for help?

If after 48 hours the cat is still up the tree, or is in peril, please contact the RSPCA’s 24-hour advice line on 0870 5555 999.
Check out the RSPCA’s website on www.rspca.org.uk.

To view pictures of animal rescues, visit our animal rescue image gallery.

Small animal rescue partnership OptionsReturn to the animal rescue home page

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Cats up trees

At first

What should I do?

When should I ask for help?

Small animal rescue partnership

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Return to the animal rescue home page