West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) were called at 11.45am this morning to a cat that had been stuck in a tree.
The female cat was in the woods behind the tennis courts at Longley Community Sports Club, Longley Road in Huddersfield.
The cat’s owners were there with crews from Cleckheaton who worked for nearly two hours to try and help the animal, which was high up a tree in the woods.
A number of methods were used to try and save the cat including a drone, a 10.5m ladder and rope as well as a hose reel. Crews left the scene unable to save the cat and the owners agreed that the fire service had done everything possible to assist their pet.
Station Manager Damian Cameron said: “We wouldn’t usually go until the RSPCA had attended and assessed. However, we were asked to attend by the RSPCA as they are extremely busy and didn’t have an officer available and the cat has been there for four days now.
“I’m afraid we were unable to get the cat down, we tried coaxing it down to where we could reasonably gain access, tried using food but it was just too high and it began to climb further up when we made any attempts to get closer.
“A drone was used to see if the noise would persuade it down with no success. We’ve left it with the owner who will monitor over the next 24hrs.”
WYFRS say their guidance on animal rescues is to contact the RSPCA and for owners not put themselves at risk.
SM Cameron said: “We will support the RSPCA if needed, in case they need specific skills or equipment, but they would attend the majority of incidents themselves. One of the main reasons for attending such incidents is to minimise the risk to the public.
“We sometimes see people, such as animal owners, taking risks with their own safety to rescue or help a pet in difficulty.”