A man has shared the biggest rescue he has ever mounted, after a 25 pound “hunk” of a feline, aptly named Fat Cat, got stuck up a tree.

Duane Hook is an avid tree climber and uses his skills to save pets who have bitten off more branches than they can chew.

Hook was called out in Ohio, where owners Sayla and Danny had desperately been trying to get their pet back on the ground.

Originally called Little Kitty, his name is now Fat Cat thanks to his size, with Hook saying he was the “biggest” feline he’d ever had to rescue.

This combined image shows Fat Cat stuck in a tree. A man shared the rescue of the biggest cat he’d come across up a tree, who weighed 25 pounds.
Duane Hook/@getmeowttahere

He shared a clip of the event to his TikTok page, @getmeowttahere, showing him scaling a 45 feet high a tree, the equivalent of four storys.

Hook told Newsweek: “Fat Cat’s human relayed to me the situation, that Fat Cat had been stuck in this tree for four days and that they had tried everything to coax him down. They placed a 40 feet extension ladder up to the tree but it would not reach the poor kitty.

“They constructed an extension pole with a pool net to try to snag him and even managed to extend a drink of water to the poor cat using PVC poles they had lashed together. They had reached out to everyone looking for help, including making social media posts requesting help.”

Cats often go missing, with 15 per cent of owners admitting their felines had been AWOL within a five-year period, a 2018 study published in the National Library of Medicine said.

The findings noted: “Approximately one-third of cats were recovered within 7 days.

“A physical search increased the chances of finding cats alive and 75% of cats were found within a 500 m radius of their point of escape.”

Among the owners of the 602 cats who went missing that were featured in the study, just 1 per cent, namely four cats, were found up a tree.

Photo of FatCat stuck in a tree.
This combined image shows Fat Cat in a tree. The feline was stuck 45 feet in the air for four days.
Duane Hook/@getmeowttahere

After fruitless attempts to get Fat Cat down, his owners eventually reached out to Hook for help, who brought his equipment to the scene, as they discussed Fat Cat.

“All cats are little psychos in their own ways,” he said. “Knowing each cat’s particular personality guides me in how I will approach them.

“The last thing I want is for a cat to jump out of fear, or to climb higher into the canopy in an effort to escape me and my impending bagging.

[His owners] were unsure of what scared Fat Cat into this situation that he found himself in. Usually, these cats are chased by a dog, coyote, or even another cat and they scramble up a tree to get away. I once rescued a cat that was chased up a tree by a group of children.

“Shayla and Danny were walking their dog on their property when they heard Fat Cat’s cries from the treetop, that’s how they discovered him up there.”

Hook explained the rescue process, saying he firstly assesses hazards in the tree and surrounding environment, such as power lines, then tries to get the cat into a sack”.

Luckily the execution of Fat Cat’s rescue was flawless.

Hook said: “There were no difficulties and it was a smooth rescue. Fat Cat was about 45 feet up the tree and made the right decision to come to me with very little persuasive tricks required from me. Sometimes I will spend up to an hour in the tree waiting for the cat to get over their pride and/or fear of me. Fat Cat was easy. He was ready for help.

“The only difficulty was his size and I couldn’t use my typical bagging technique, but he put forth minimal resistance to the scary sack.”

Hook, who declines payment for these rescues, shared some tips for owners in a similar situation, saying: “If your cat is in a tree the best thing to do is to wait. Try to find out what scared the cat and keep that threat away for a couple of days.

“Give the cat at least overnight to figure out how to come down. I do not recommend putting food or ladders up against the tree. Food will attract other animals that could scare the cat and keep it from climbing down.

“Ladders create an obstruction that the cat could have difficulty getting around during their descent.”

If after a night the cat still hasn’t come down, Hook suggested contacting a professional to assist.

Hook, who also shares his rescues to his Instagram page, @duane.hook, amassed nearly 8 million views for the video featuring Fat Cat.

Posted on Tuesday, he called the job a “Texas-sized rescue,” as people raved about the footage in the comments.

Belle Buchanan said: “I absolutely love what you do, your kindness is priceless!”

Caroline admitted: “My palms are sooo sweaty watching this.”

And Nemo Nobody said: “What a cute boy!!! and 4 days?? poor baby! thank god you came in!”

The chart below, provided by Statista, shows America’s favorite animals.

Infographic: Americans' Favorite Furry Friends | Statista You will find more infographics at Statista

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