This article offers some practial tips: https://www.dailypaws.com/cats-kittens/cat-safety-tips/cat-stuck-in-tree-thanksgiving
Apparently many fire departments will no longer rescue cats, since they need to be available to save people. I found fascinating the information that cat claws are actually designed to climb but are not well-suited for backing down. I guess those cats aren’t just being grumpy when they cling to the tree and refuse to return to the ground. The whole cat in tree thing made more sense when I read that.
I’m very glad neither of my cats ever went tree climbing … and hanging onto a scared or anry cat while moving back down a ladder sounds like a bad way to descend.
This makes me think of what other animal could get stuck in a tree. Dogs, maybe, though they’re unlikely to climb. Anything with wings could presumably fly down/away. Gerbils, mice, squirrels and rodents can probably find footing on the bark and scamper away. What’s the strangest animal you can think of that might somehow go up a tree and have trouble descending? Is it a cat-only problem?
But clothes, kites, balls, and anything blown or thrown could definitely tangle in branches. The wind might send them down, but otherwise, they’d need human help.