Stop cats climbing up a tree?

[fireheart]

We have this MASSIVE tree in our backyard. Important note: it is also towards the end of winter.

Anyway today Oscar our younger furball, decided to climb up a tree. Why? Because the birds were teasing him. Only problem was when he couldn't get down. We contemplated getting the ladder from our neighbour when he jumped down by himself. I'm a little worried as he was out of arms reach even when I was standing on a bench. He jumped from the branch he was standing on right down.

So is there a way I can stop him from climbing up the tree again?

[Solumina]

Not really unless you want to declaw him, and if he spends any amount of time outside that would be a bad idea.

Growing up we had two cats, my cat was a great climber, she could gut up anywhere and always found her way back down. Her sister wasn't quite so gifted, she generally could get halfway up a tree, freak out about being so high, and then we would have to get her. The last time she did this she ended up being up there a while as we didn't have a ladder high enough. A fire truck came out but they couldn't get to the tree cuz it was slightly in the woods. So after trying to get her down for about 4 hours we had to cut the tree. She was fine, obviously a little upset at the whole ordeal, and I guess she finally figured out that we couldn't always magically get her from anywhere as from then on she never went higher than she could easily jump down.

In other words cats are like kids, unfortunately you can’t protect them form everything and sometime they just have to learn things the hard way. Thankfully they are resilient and are quite good at landing on their feet.

[Whiskey]

Cut the tree down

[Mishi]

Fairly sure that declawing is illegal here since my old boss wouldn't/couldn't do it. Try doing the same as what you would with possums: nail a 60cm wide sheet metal collar around the trunk of the tree, just higher than the cat can or will be able to jump in the future and then trim any branches below that.

[Whiskey]

Fairly sure that declawing is illegal here since my old boss wouldn't/couldn't do it. T

Declawing is a horrible practice anyways.

Also,

Only problem was when he wouldn't get down

Cats are famous for this. I ccaaaaaaannnnntttttttt. My cat can scale 2 stories to my apartment to get in at night, but OH GOD HES TRAPPED on the first floor balcony ledge and just CANT get down. I left him there. Low and behold, he was waiting at my front door, after climbing down, about an hour later.

[fireheart]

Fairly sure that declawing is illegal here since my old boss wouldn't/couldn't do it. Try doing the same as what you would with possums: nail a 60cm wide sheet metal collar around the trunk of the tree, just higher than the cat can or will be able to jump in the future and then trim any branches below that.

Thanks I'll let my dad know to get something like that and to just wrap the branches. I considered something like what they have at Adelaide Zoo (really thick pieces of plastic) but the cats can still dig their claws in.

Yes, declawing is illegal down here (thankfully), although I think my mum's gonna trim his claws now after that. Oscar's older brother, Mitchell (also a brat) has also been known to climb up the same tree.

[MaggieTheCat]

Trimming a cat's claws isn't too hard if you can catch them when they're sleepy and if they're used to being handled by you. Just be very sure not to cut the quick, which is the little vein that runs into the claw. If you nick it at all, it will hurt the cat (and bleed like crazy) and make it a lot harder to do the job in the future since the cat will associate you handling their paws with pain.

[blas]

Get a Peddy-Paws

[Cat]

I was *almost* thinking of getting Pedi Paws for my kttehs, but I haven't read good reviews. If I ever see em in clearence, I'll get one.

I do want to get get soft paws for my cats...I think Morgan would look great in Blood Red (she is evil and like to draw blood on male humans) and Pink for Riley (he had pink bandages after his surgey, and I laughed at him, he look so miserable.)

[blas]

My parents got an Emery board for Baby. She rarely uses it though, despite my parents coating the damn thing in the catnip it comes with.

They won't declaw her because she's getting too old now, yet they keep throwing fits that she tore up all the old furniture and now she's taken to scratching their wooden hutch.

[Whiskey]

Get some apple bitter.