Ollie's Second Rescue

Ollie did it again.  In fact, he did it three or four more times since I last rescued him out of a tree, but he was either low enough that his family could get him down, or he fell out.  This time, however, Ollie was too high and too stuck.  It took his family a few days to find him, and by the time I got the call to rescue him, Ollie had been in the tree a week.  That is a long time to be stuck in the hot days we have been having, so, even though it was late in the day when I got the call, I rushed over to see if I could get Ollie down before sunset.

 When I arrived, I found Ollie resting far out at the end of a long branch which sloped downward toward the trunk at a fairly steep angle.  I was not sure if he could walk down the branch toward the trunk at that angle, but he became energized with the activity of his family down below him, and he easily walked all the way down the branch to the trunk.  At that point he was about 25 feet high, and, as long as he stayed there, he should be an easy rescue.  But if he walked back out to the end of that branch and refused to cooperate, then it would be a difficult rescue indeed.

The noise and commotion of setting my rope in the tree above him made him nervous, but he mostly stayed in place.  But by the time I was ready to begin my climb up to him, he had walked all the way back out on his branch and was about 20 feet away from the trunk.  I was just hoping that he would calm down and begin to trust me enough to come at least part of the way back toward me.

 After I positioned myself securely on his branch, I pulled out a can of food to offer to him.  I always carefully watch the cat as I open the can of food, because many cats recognize and respond to that distinctive sound.  Ollie's response was immediate and so exaggerated that it was funny.  His ears perked up, his face lit up with excitement, and he quickly walked down that branch toward me like I was his best friend.  Unfortunately, you can't see his reaction in the video because he was mostly out of the frame or blocked by foliage.  I wish I could show it, because it was well worth seeing.
Ollie came all the way to me with no fear at all and readily began eating the food.  Once I let him have a few bites, I put the food in the back of the carrier and held the opening in front of him.  He readily walked all the way in to finish his meal.  I had to encourage him to pull in one back foot and tuck his tail inside so that I could close the door, but he was happy in the carrier as he ate his food, and he never made a sound as I brought him down.

 We released him inside, and he was happy to be home.  Unfortunately, Ollie's time inside the house is limited because his human daddy is allergic to cats.  They would like to keep him inside all the time, but just can't.  They are thinking about finding a new home for him where he can stay inside all the time and stay out of the trees.  Until then, with Ollie's history, it is possible that more rescues could be in his future.  I don't mind rescuing him again, though.  I like him, and that's the only time I get to see him.