Roof rat

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Yojimbo - 30 Jun 2007 14:49 GMT

Not really meant in a disparaging way.But my cat Taboo has always been a
high flyer. In the (large) garage, he would (the method I found later) jump
on the deck of my pinball machine, then the back, then the top of the door
if it was open, finally the rafters of the garage. A good 12' up. How he got
down when I wasn't there...
But now he's taken to being up on the roof fairly regularly (once or twice a
month as far as I know). He climbs an adjoining tree and, from the branches,
to the roof. The branches seem a lot less conducive to the reverse trip.
He's walking around and calling when he sees me. Now there's a flat area
that's not so high on an addition, only about 10' up. I can stand on a
now-decorative patio stump and reach for him, but when I'm close, he flops
on his sideand just rubs around on the asphalt shingles. I don't see how he
can safely get down so I'm reluctant to just ignore him. What d'ya think -
just let him go at it?

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Diana - 30 Jun 2007 23:58 GMT

> Not really meant in a disparaging way.But my cat Taboo has always been a
> high flyer. In the (large) garage, he would (the method I found later) jump
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> can safely get down so I'm reluctant to just ignore him. What d'ya think -
> just let him go at it?

Well, if he's allowed outside on his own, he's going to do this, right?
So doesn't he need to learn to get himself down?

Diana

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William Graham - 01 Jul 2007 04:24 GMT

> Not really meant in a disparaging way.But my cat Taboo has always been a
> high flyer. In the (large) garage, he would (the method I found later)
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> can safely get down so I'm reluctant to just ignore him. What d'ya think -
> just let him go at it?

Either that, or build him an "escape ladder" out of old wood/rope you can
find around the house.....That's what I did for "Missy", who got too old to
do those athletic things anymore......

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studio - 02 Jul 2007 12:18 GMT

Big Mama used to do that also when she was younger.

She would climb a tree, then jump from the tree onto
the flat roof of a small garage nearby.
The reason she did this was she had seen squirrels
up there before gathering the nuts that would drop
on the roof.

She got down by stretching as far as she could
down the side of the building, then jumping to the ground.
Jump height = app. 6-7 feet...depending on how far the stretch.

I've had stray cats (not my own) jumping off my deck when
I inadvertantly startled them walking up the steps.
Height from deck = 10 feet.
Even I wouldn't jump that far unless my life depended on it.

Thank goodness Mama didn't injure herself, but she doesn't
go up there anymore either.
She's just too old to be doing that anymore, and doesn't
have the curiousity to go up there...too difficult to get down.

That said, sometimes (rarely) they actually can't get down from
climbing up things.
And can break thier legs jumping from too high a height.

So your concern could very well be justified.

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William Graham - 02 Jul 2007 20:04 GMT

> Big Mama used to do that also when she was younger.
>
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
>
> So your concern could very well be justified.

I have seen frightened chipmunks launch themselves from my rear
deck.....About a 10 foot drop to the ground....Doesn't seem to phase them.
(Better than being eaten by one of my cats) A lot depends on the hardness of
the landing surface.....I saw a cat on the TV drop about 30 feet without
harm....It landed on a soft lawn.

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studio - 03 Jul 2007 04:01 GMT

> I have seen frightened chipmunks launch themselves from my rear
> deck.....About a 10 foot drop to the ground....Doesn't seem to phase them.
> (Better than being eaten by one of my cats) A lot depends on the hardness of
> the landing surface.....I saw a cat on the TV drop about 30 feet without
> harm....It landed on a soft lawn.

Hello William. I hope you and Doughball are getting along best as can
be.
Doughballs story and picture will forever be on my computer.

Yes, I've seen the occassional high jumps cats are sometimes forced to
do.
Seen one that was 70 feet and the cat ran away unscathed.
But these are many times the exception to the rule.
I've also heard of cats jumping 3 or 4 feet and breaking a leg or
toe...but that isn't
news worthy.

When they get older, they are usually wiser not to take such risks,
because
they remember the pain it caused them from such a high jump.
Plus animal instinct tells them that a wounded cat is a vunerable cat.

I once had a cat with a broken leg, the vet put a cast on him, and he
would
hobble around.
Oh the sympathy pets he would get from strangers...

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Big Al - 03 Jul 2007 06:16 GMT

My cat Fazie went completely blind. He could still go on the roof and get
down. He would also jump on the bedroom window sill and scream to be let in.
It's about 5 feet off the ground and very narrow. 6th sense??

Al

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