Firefighters Respond to Cats in Trees Only If the Animal Cannot Get Down on Its Own
Mārtiņš Baltmanis, head of Latvia's State Fire and Rescue Service, said rescuers attend calls about cats in trees only when the animal is stuck. He could not give an exact cost for a single rescue.
A cat up a tree does not automatically mean firefighters should be called. Mārtiņš Baltmanis, a general and the head of Latvia's State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD), answered a viewer's question about the cost of getting a cat down from a tree on the TV24 programme "Uz līnijas" and explained when the service steps in.
According to Baltmanis, rescuers go out only if the animal is trapped among the branches and cannot get down by itself. If a cat has climbed up out of fear but is simply sitting on a branch and is not stuck, firefighters do not respond.
In such cases the animal is given time to calm down. Once the threat is gone, a cat usually climbs down on its own. The service also explains to the public why rescuers are not involved in these situations.
Costs vary
The head of the service could not state an exact cost for rescuing one cat. The price depends on the location of the call and the distance, as well as on whether an autocrane is needed. Fuel, the working hours of the staff involved and other resources must also be taken into account.
