A cat with a jar on its head could remain at large in Picton today, after a dog raised the alarm.

Picton man John Burton said his jack russell Molly alerted him to the frantic feline by barking up a tree at a neighbour's house on Russell St in Picton at about 8am yesterday.

Burton's vision failed him and he thought the cat was an old plastic bag snagged on a branch.

"We thought it was a bit of rubbish up the tree seeing as it was windy on rubbish day.

"It wasn't until our young colleague came with her younger eyes that she said it was a cat."

The young woman phoned the Picton Volunteer Fire Brigade about 10.30am.

Firefighters arrived, climbed the four-metre-high tree, shook the branches and got the cat down.

However, it fled, darting under a fence and into some bushes.

It was not known if it managed to remove the jar or if it had an owner.

The residents were initially concerned the jar was made of glass and would shatter if the cat fell, but firefighters, on closer inspection, said it was plastic.

"I've heard of cats up trees but never one with a jar stuck on its head, it could be a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Burton said.

Another neighbour said the jar was definitely not hers because she was taught to either put the lid on containers or squash them to avoid animals getting inside.

Picton Volunteer Fire Brigade deputy chief fire officer Rod Thomas said though the Fire Service was happy to help those in need, it was better to phone the Marlborough District Council who could arrange animal control officers to deal with cats up trees.