Colorado fire department begs residents to stop climbing trees after their cats
Sep 24, 2026, 3:52 PM
Colorado Springs, we need to talk. Not about the bears. Not about the mountain lions. About you. Specifically, about you climbing trees after your cat and then getting stuck up there too.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department posted a message on Facebook Wednesday that reads less like a public safety announcement and more like a parent who has had it up to here: “Please. Stop. Climbing. Trees. After. Your. Cat.” According to CSFD, firefighters have had to rescue “entirely too many humans” from trees this year, not because those humans were in danger, but because they climbed up after Mr. Whiskers and then discovered a universal truth that cats figured out 10,000 years ago: going up is the easy part. The fire department didn’t mince words: “We can assure you: cats like to chill in weird places. As a cat owner, you already know this. Most of the time, your tiny tree goblin will come down when their little adventure is over.”
“Tiny tree goblin” is now the official government term for your cat in a tree, and frankly, it’s the most accurate thing a fire department has ever said.
CSFD stressed that a cat hanging out in a tree is not a 911 emergency, and that you should absolutely not turn it into a 911 emergency by climbing up there yourself and getting stranded next to the cat you were trying to save. If your cat really does seem to be in distress and you’ve exhausted every logical option, including calling a local tree service, an arborist, or “making friends with a neighbor who has a tall ladder,” you can call the CSFD non-emergency line at 719-444-7000. If a crew is available and not out responding to an actual emergency, they can come assess the situation. But the department’s parting shot may have been the best line: they asked that, in the meantime, cat owners “have a serious conversation with their cats about their life choices.” On behalf of every firefighter in Colorado Springs who has climbed a ladder to rescue a grown adult sitting on a branch next to a cat that was perfectly fine: please, for the love of everything, just wait it out. The cat will come down. You, apparently, will not.
