Cats and trees go together like Fall and pumpkin spice lattes—you can hardly imagine one without the other. Whether it’s a tiny kitten clawing its way up a birch tree’s bark or a giant floof bounding from branch to branch atop an ancient oak tree, we can’t help but admire felines in trees.

In fact, some cats look so snug and at home perching in treetops that it made us wonder if they might have secretly been raised by birds. Scroll down for Bored Panda’s collection of birdlike cats in trees, upvote your favorite photos, and check out our previous post about cattos sleeping in trees right here.

Bored Panda wanted to learn more about why cats enjoy climbing trees so much and why they tend to get stuck in treetops, so we reached out to cat behaviorist Ingrid Johnson.

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What’s more, there are certain advantages to perching in a tree. When you’re higher up, you can spot your dinner from much further away while they remain unaware. (Let’s keep that in mind the next time we want to ambush an ice cream truck.)

However, climbing up trees isn’t just an offensive move; it can be a defensive tactic, too! Cats aren’t at the top of the food chain, so they can fall victim to other wild animals or the neighborhood doggos. Being up high means cats feel safer, more relaxed, and can taunt their would-be predators as much as they like. Unless their pursuers can climb trees, too!

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Image credits: BillyGoat956961

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Image credits: RealLizurd

Unfortunately, what makes cats great at climbing up trees makes them terrible at coming back down to the solid ground.

“A cat in a tree may have trouble coordinating their hind and front feet when they try to back down. It’s just not a movement cats normally do,” feline ethologist from Maryland, Susan Bulanda, told Pet MD. That’s why cats most often jump from high places instead of climbing down.

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Despite how much cats seem to enjoy trees, some of them really are notoriously bad at climbing down. Some might get scared. Others might get confused.

I’ve never had to rescue a cat from a tree before, but I’m pretty sure some of you Pandas have been everyday superheroes before—let us know if you’ve ever rescued a trembling catto before and how it went.