My 4-year-old cat is stuck on my neighbour's roof and is terrified. What can I do? She's quite high up and since we're in lockdown, I'd rather not bother the fire brigade. To make matters worse, my neighbour won't let me put a ladder in her garden to go and get her. This isn't the first time she's got stuck, so does anyone have any tips to stop her from climbing up there?
Thanks for your help
Have a good day
Translated from French
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The only solution is to stop them getting into the neighbour's, which means stopping them from leaving your garden altogether. If they get outside, they'll always find a way into the neighbour’s by jumping the fence or the front gate.
You won't be able to stop them with an electric pet fence or an ultrasonic repellent (not that I know how those work!).
Thanks for your replies. My cat climbs up using the tree in the neighbour's garden (the roofs aren't semi-detached), we always try tempting him with food but nothing works, he just won't come down. My neighbour hates cats and a few years ago she even threatened to throw bleach at him. We avoid going into her garden because if she catches us, I reckon she’d call the police or something. I went to get him this afternoon (sneaking in with a ladder) and he's back home safe and sound now. Unfortunately, I live with my parents and he’s their cat; if he gets back up there, they say they'll take him to the RSPCA. I want to avoid that at all costs (I doubt they’d actually do it, but I’d like to find a solution anyway). So, what can I do to stop him from climbing back up? He’d been stuck on the roof for about 12 hours and I was far too scared of losing him to wait for him to come down on his own (it really broke my heart and I was worried about him getting too hot as well). Thanks.
Yeah, usually they wait until your back is turned and you've disappeared before they'll come down (after you've spent ages begging them and offering all sorts of treats).
How did you manage the previous times? That’s not very nice of the neighbour, though!
My first cat got stuck at the top of a tree several times; I stayed underneath and encouraged him by showing him where he needed to go, and he followed my lead from branch to branch. He really trusted me, but would that work for another cat? Try encouraging him by showing him an open tin of tuna so he catches the scent; it might help him make the decision to come down. But then again, cats always come down eventually, don't they? How long has he been stuck for? He must have found a way up to the roof, so try to spot how he got there and show him the way back.
She’s clearly had enough of being cooped up, this little one! 😉
How is she getting onto that roof?
If this isn’t the first time it’s happened, how did you manage to get her back down before?
I don’t really get your neighbour’s attitude—letting you put a ladder up in her garden isn’t exactly the end of the world, is it?
Is it a shared roof with yours?
Once she gets hungry enough, she’ll come down on her own eventually.
