A tuxedo cat has been stuck in a tree on 89th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam for at least three days — and possibly more.
Update: The cat was finally rescued on Sunday night!
The Post reported that the cat has been there for five days, after being chased by a dog.
“Neighbors said they’ve called the fire department multiple times over the last few days to help rescue the cat, which has been nicknamed “Tarzan,” from its 40-foot perch.”
Cops were called to try and free it Sunday morning — but they eventually gave up, neighbors said.
“Then the police came with a fire extinguisher and they couldn’t get him down… and they gave up,” said Eric Puello, a nearby building superintendent.
A parent at PS 166 down the block told us on Friday she tried to find someone to get the cat down. “I called 3-1-1 and left some messages and I think someone called PetCo.”
The cat does not appear to have eaten any food, according to Susana Cabrera, who can see the animal from her apartment and reached out to us about the frightened feline. Cabrera’s daughter called 911 about the cat (video below), but instead of getting a dispatcher was told to call 311 instead. She writes that neighbors are trying to find “someone who climbs trees” to help, before asking “does that even exist?” The Post reports that window-washers may make an attempt on Sunday evening.
The tree climbers in central park could maybe help
Cats cannot generally clim DOWN a tree. You need someone with a “cherry picker” like the fire dept has
Go in person to the nearest fire station and see if it is willing to help. They have hi-rise buckets.
Do you mean Broadway and Amsterdam or Broadway and West End Avenue? There is no direct between Broadway and Columbus that’s a very wide span. Thank you and Good Luck,
Thank you. Fixed.
911 is for EMERGENCIES ONLY!!!
…and you think an animal in trouble is not an emergency??? That is a pretty inhuman idea.
The City Emergency agencies should have
addressed this problem immediately, Police, Fire Department, Animal Control, and others.
There private animal savior agencies that the City could have put the neighborhood residents in touch with. I hope the lady who has a limited view of what an “emergency” is, never needs help when a deathly situation happens and the services contacted just think that her problem is not an emergency! Maybe then she will understand that all the ”animals” of the world, including
UWS Ladies, must be treated equally when they are in trouble!
Cats and upper west side humans should be treated equally? If you think like that you should move to the east side.
This is outrageous. This cat will die unless tended to. Can’t you get up in a Cherry Picker there? First put a net out in case the cat jumps or falls. That’s easy.
Better, call Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in SoHo. They save thousands of dogs and cats.
What about the fire dept.? Don’t they use ladders to rescue cats?
Is that just a myth?
If so, what about the ASPCA? Have they been contacted?
Cat rescued by Fire Department! About 5:15pm Sunday!
Yay! Thank you New York’s Bravest!
The police came with a fire extinguisher???!!! This cat (whether feral or someone’s lost pet) is undoubtedly terrified and hungry. Wonder if the ASPCA would help. Or an animal or specifically cat rescue group. Maybe the only way to get it down is with tranquilizer dart and a net to catch it if it falls.
I will stop by the Fire Dept on 83rd Street & Amsterdam and ask if they will help, poor kitty!
Someone has to help. She’s probably hunger and dehydrated what’s wrong with people? I’m going to see if I can help. Where is Animal control?
OMG! offering an opened can of tuna fish, or some salmon is a worthy effort – not a fire extinguisher!! never!! The goal is to calm and befriend, not traumatize!
I read in the comments kitty has been successfully rescued – please let it be so.
Shame on whoever allowed their dog to chase the cat in the first place.
This looks a lot like a cat that I have seen hanging out near the W 90th St entrance to Central Park, on and off since April when coyotes were lurking in the area. If this cat isn’t feral, shame on the owner for not keeping it indoors and safe. One hopes that a rescue organization can find it a home with a responsible owner.
The cat fell out of the tree and ran away. It wasn’t rescued.
I live in the neighborhood and my elderly tuxedo cat passed away a few weeks ago. Does anyone know what will happen to this cat? If no one comes forward to claim ownership I would be interested in taking it. Can someone please let me know? Thanks.
Oh people, just call an arborist company! They’ll scale the tree carefully, use gloves, but the cat in a breathable bag for safety & bring it down. They do it all the time.
I was there when the fire department finally rescued it. They used the cherry picker and shook it down from the tree, a group of firefighters below sort of caught it but fumbled, and the cat went sprinting off towards Amsterdam. Poor kitty was probably so traumatized. Many people were ready to adopt it, but now it’ll have a feral life. Hopefully it fares alright.
Am I the only one?
“Cat Stuck In Tree: Dog May Be to Blame”
It doesn’t get more NY than that.
No, you are not the only one. One can only hope the responsible dog will be appropriately disciplined.
Perhaps if the residents of the upperwest side want the first responders to take care of a meaningless cat in a tree and waste their valuable time and resources they shouldn’t be taking away their parking priveleges around their fire houses. Roberta Semer of community board 7 has absolutely no respect for our first responders.
If you call the cat “meaningless” then all life is meaningless (including yours).
People suck! There’s not a SINGLE service in the city that couldn’t have gotten this poor thing down over a week? If I still had my crampons, I wouldn’t think twice to climb up there and rescue it (which I’ve done before), only to likely receive a summons or get arrested upon placing my feet on terra firma! Happy the cat is down and safe. As usual, disgusted with humanity!
This brings to mind a hilarious encounter with a cat trapped in a tree when I lived on the UWS. My dog walker, who had been hanging out in the park, took my dog home, while about 20 people tried coaxing down this kitten in as many languages. We finally got her down, and I grabbed a cab to the ASPCA. She hid under the driver’s seat and would not come out (with meter running). They wouldn’t take her and I ended up fostering her (me with the worst cat allergies) for several days until some good Samaritan came to my rescue. But watching this United Nations of busybodies trying to eject the kitten from the tree was quite the NYC experience!