Kitten chasing squirrels stuck 150ft up Cwmaman tree

Willow with her owner Meghan Blainaut after being rescued by tree surgeon Mike Bailey (right)

A kitten has been rescued after getting stuck 150ft up a tree.

Six-month-old tabby Willow chased squirrels to the top of a towering fir in Cwmaman, Rhondda Cynon Taf, after her owners had gone to the beach.

She ended up being stranded there for nearly 24 hours until a tree surgeon finally came to her rescue the following morning.

The drama, which unfolded on Facebook on Saturday, saw hundreds of concerned pet lovers keen to offer their help.

"We'd gone to Mumbles for the day to make the most of the nice weather, but while we were there we got a phone call from our neighbours," said Willow's owner, Meghan Blainaut.

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"They told us they'd heard Willow crying and couldn't work out where the noise was coming from.

"Normally she just wanders around our garden or pops over the wall to play with next door's dog - but she never ever climbs trees."

The 27-year-old carer and mother of two added that by the time the family arrived back at their house on the village's Llanwonno Road it was too dark to try to rescue Willow themselves.

"My partner tried to coax her down but she was far too high - she was practically at the top of the tree and too scared to move," said Meghan.

"What followed was a terrible night of tossing and turning, and when we woke up the next day someone had already posted a call for help on social media."

And tagged into that shout-out was tree surgeon Mike Bailey.

"I'd never rescued a cat before and love a challenge," said the 36-year-old dad-of-five from Llwydcoed, who works for RTS Tree Specialists Ltd.

"It was a tricky climb though because the tree, which is as ancient as it is huge, has branches that slope downwards.

"That meant I couldn't use my normal method of throwing a rope over them and hoisting myself up."

Instead Mike lashed himself to the trunk and used spiked shoes to help him climb, only discovering when he was three-quarters of the way up that the tree splits into three separate sections near the top.

Willow is lowered to the ground in laundry bag

"The cat was moving back and forth between the three parts, at which point I noticed there was a huge nest up there - most probably a squirrel's.

"So it's likely that's what Willow was chasing and why she ended up where she did.

"My biggest worry was she'd see me, panic and fall, so I made sure there were people standing around the base of the tree with bed sheets ready to catch her.

"But, luckily, she actually started coming towards me instead, so I popped her in a laundry bag I'd brought from home and got her down."

As for Willow herself, she remains blissfully unaware of all the trouble she caused.

"Once inside she gobbled some food and fell fast asleep on my son's bed," said Meghan.

"She was flat out for the rest of the day."

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