Muffin the cat was one of the lucky ones who was rescued by a fire department after being stuck up a tree for about a day. But don’t depend on your city to get your kitty down. Learn what to do in case it happens to your cat.Rich Maxwell | for NJ Advance Me

BRECKSVILLE, Ohio -- Your sweet kitty is stuck in a tree. What do you do?

Don’t call the fire department. They usually won’t come. Call the police? They might come, but will most likely refer you to your community’s animal control officer -- who will come and tell you to put out tasty food and the kitty will come down on its own.

As understandable as a city’s reaction to such a situation might be, none of it was very helpful when my elderly neighbor’s indoor kitty, Socks, snuck out of the house and ended up scared to death 20 feet up in a tree in our front yard.

My husband and I are both animal lovers, and seeing this poor kitty crying and hanging onto this tree, we knew we had to try something other than hoping he would come down on his own.

My husband, God bless him, got out an extension ladder and attempted to get him down. This only scared Socks more and made him climb higher up the tree. Plus, I was concerned that my husband could fall and hurt himself.

Then we tried coaxing with treats -- that didn’t work.

His owner brought over a plate of very odiferous tuna. He didn’t budge.

Sigh -- now what do we do?

Since I was not receiving any real advice and it was starting to get dark, I went to Google for some direction. I have had many cats my whole life, but was surprised at some of the things I found out.

I thought they needed to be shared.

First of all, did you know that cat’s claws are shaped like fish hooks? Once they are extended, they’re designed to pull the cat forward. So, while cats can whiz up a tree in a matter of seconds, it’s much more of a challenge for them to get back down.

Some cats will reverse back down, but they’ll usually only try this if they’re still climbing the tree trunk rather than stuck on a branch.

Here are 10 tips to successfully get your adventurous kitty out of a tree:

1. First of all, lock away any dogs in the area. The goal is to calm the cat and make it comfortable enough to come down on its own. So, remove dogs and little children.

2. Try to coax the cat down before trying to physically move it. The cat’s owner would be best person to call their cat. It is more likely to come to a person it knows.

3. Use treats or strongly scented food, like tuna in a bowl at the base of the tree, then walk away.

4. Use a laser point to lure the cat down. The idea is to get the cat to follow the dot down the tree. But be sure not to point the laser at the cat’s eyes.

5. If you have a long ladder or an extension ladder, you can lean it against the tree trunk. Climb up the ladder and try to lure the cat toward you by shaking a container of treats.

6. If the cat comes toward you while you’re standing on the ladder, you may be able to pick it up and carry it down. If you’re going to try this approach, be sure to wear thick gloves and long sleeves, as even the most placid cat may panic as you pick it up.

7. Decide to take more active measures if none of the above work. Remember, a cat’s claws are good for climbing up a tree, but they are not as good for climbing down. Your cat may genuinely be stuck and need your help.

8. Lay something against the tree so that the cat can climb down. This could be a long branch, an extension ladder or a wooden plank. Make sure the item is secure against the tree, then walk away. Some cats will use it to climb down.

9. If all else fails, call a local arborist for help. They have the equipment and the experience climbing trees.

10. Once you have the cat safely down from the tree, check it over for any signs of injuries. If the cat is allowed outdoors, you may want to keep it indoors overnight to make sure that it rests after its ordeal. If an indoor cat got outdoors and ended up in a tree, make sure you figure out how the kitty escaped and secure any escape options so that it doesn’t happen again.

So, what happened to Socks? Tuna and treats did not tempt him. His mother’s coaxing didn’t work. He totally ignored the laser pointer altogether.

The next thing to try was the ladder. We put it up again as far as it would go on the side of the tree that seemed like the easiest route for him to come down. Plus, there are garden lights that went on that lit up the ladder, so we knew he would be able to see better in the dark.

I was getting worried because it was getting colder and starting to rain. This little guy had never been out at night before.

A couple more hours went by, and I opened the front door to check on him before we went to bed. And there he was, coming down the lit tree.

He hit the first three rungs of the ladder, then jumped and ran right home. We called our neighbor, and when she opened the door, he literally flew into the house.

I don’t think he will be sneaking outdoors again any time soon. And if he does, at least now we know what to do.

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