A family’s Christmas has been saved by strangers after they were forced to shell out hundreds of pounds to rescue their “dopey” moggie from a 75ft-high tree.

Winter - a five-year-old Ragdoll cat - spent three days and two nights up the oak after becoming too scared to climb down.

Owner Nicola Garrett was beside herself with worry after hearing the much-loved pet meowing for help from the high branches near her home in Parkwood, Maidstone.

She initially called the RSPCA and the fire service but both said they couldn’t help.

Increasingly desperate, she found a tree surgeon online who said they were confident they could reach the cat.

Nicola said: “First of all they wanted £350 and I said I didn’t have that much. Then we agreed on £200. It wasn’t cheap but I was willing to pay if they got her down.”

But the mum-of-one, who was using cash from the family’s Christmas fund, was left disappointed when two men arrived and failed in their mission.

She added: “They had a go for maybe five minutes at the most. They could tell I was upset and didn’t even really go up the tree.

“They went and got these ladders, like the double extension ones you’d put against your house.

“They claimed they were tree surgeons but didn’t have harnesses and after climbing up they said there was nothing more they could do and couldn’t go any higher.

“Afterwards they told me they had ‘tried their best’ but I still owed them money for the time.”

Meanwhile, a spooked Winter had now climbed ever further up the tree.

Reluctantly, Nicola handed over £200 which was to go towards presents, food and activities for her daughter, Scarlet, 11, who had convinced her to get the pet in the first place.

According to the family, Winter displays the typical Ragdoll characteristics of being “placid and dopey”.

Nicola added: “She has never been stuck up a tree. I lived in a flat before and then moved into this house two years ago. This is all a bit new to her.

“Everyone was saying she’ll come down on her own but she was so high up and isn’t the brightest.”

The 46-year-old was later contacted by Tracy Bosman, of Kent Wildlife Rescue Service, who’d heard about the incident.

The Sheerness-based charity aims to help treat and rehabilitate injured animals.

Tracy felt Nicola was being taken advantage of.

The 52-year-old said: “She was so desperate and emotionally stressed out. I felt sorry for her because this was Christmas money.

“When I arrived we made some calls and managed to get [another tree surgeon] Marco Boffa out, who was amazing.

“He is a climber and had a lot of patience and care, but was also very professional.”

He made it up the 75ft with a cat carrier and spent half an hour coaxing Winter, who was at the end of a branch, to come towards him so he could take her down.

Nicola says she was “more than willing” to pay £100 for his services.

She added: “Winter was oblivious to all the commotion and totted back upstairs to lay down on my daughter’s bed.

“Tracy checked her over to see if she was dehydrated. I’m glad we got her down when we did as the weather got worse the following day.

“I’ve let her out a couple of times – she’s sat in the garden for 10 minutes and then wants to come straight back.

“She doesn’t even want to be out there for long anymore.”

After hearing how Nicola was £300 out of pocket, Tracy posted an appeal on Facebook to try and get back the festive funds.

The local community, along with friends of the charity, came together and raised £277 and Tracy surprised the family by giving them a Christmas card full of cash.

“It was a big shock. I was so grateful,” Nicola said. “It means so much, it really does.

“It was so lovely and I nearly cried. It just shows there are such nice people out there, despite all the horrible stuff going on in the world.”

Nicola decided to donate £50 to KWRS as a token of her appreciation.