Trixie
This is the third time that Trixie has gotten stuck in the same tree, but it is the first time that I have been called to rescue her. The first time, a local tree service went out with a bucket truck to get her, but she got scared and climbed down on her own. The second time, they went out again with the bucket truck, and Trixie walked along the branch over there to greet them in the bucket. Now, it's my turn, and with that kind of history, I'm not sure what to expect.
Susan told me that Trixie is normally very friendly and social with strangers, and she proved it on her second rescue. I am not surprised when even a friendly cat gets scared by the size and noise of a bucket truck coming up to them in a tree, so I was hoping that Trixie would respond much better to my slow, quiet approach.
Trixie is a five year old brown tabby girl, and she has been forced to live in the garage and outdoors due to Susan's allergies. Susan is trying to find a new indoor home for Trixie, and Trixie is such a friendly girl, that she would make a very nice pet for anyone. In the meantime, however, Trixie has a problem climbing this tree, and Susan is not sure why.
When I arrived, I found Trixie perched about 35 feet high crying constantly for help, and she had been in the tree for two nights. As I looked around, I found several clumps of cat hair on the ground which appeared to me to be the result of a cat fight. The cat hair was not Trixie's color, and when I showed it to Susan, she said that it likely belongs to a large, mean male cat that has been coming around lately. Susan has even caught this intruder in the garage eating from Trixie's bowl. So now we know the likely reason why Trixie is climbing the tree so often. While Trixie is spayed, we don't know about the male stranger.
As I prepared to shoot my throw-line into the tree well above Trixie, I explained to Susan what I was doing. I told her that this process scares some cats causing them to climb higher or lower. When I shot my line into the tree, indeed, Trixie got very nervous, and I could hear it in her voice. She squirmed around a bit, but stayed in the same area. As I pulled the weighted bag back through the tree to get it in the position I wanted, it created more commotion and noise up above Trixie and caused her to get even more frightened. She began to look for a way down, but the only way down was straight down the vertical trunk of the tree. She went down a little, turned her body around backward to hang on better, and began to work her way down the trunk of the tree. She was doing a great job of properly climbing down backwards, and I was cheering for her all the way. She carefully and slowly worked her way all the way down the trunk of the tree until she was about six feet from the ground. At that point, she jumped to the ground.
Easy rescue.
I wish I had had my camera with me at that time to record Trixie's well-executed feat. I should know by now that this is a possible outcome and always have my camera ready just in case. So from now on, I will try to be prepared, but that will probably just guarantee that no cat will ever do that again for me. I never got a chance to get a picture of Trixie in the tree, and I forgot to get a picture of her later. Thankfully, Susan sent me this picture of her resting afterward.
Trixie looked fine and showed no fear of me. She visited with me and even rubbed against my legs a couple of times. She proved to me that she was indeed a very friendly girl. I hope that Susan is successful in finding a home for Trixie. If you know anyone who is interested, please contact me, and I will put you in touch. Hopefully, Trixie can find a new home before she gets chased up the tree by that mean tom cat again. I would like to think that this experience has taught her how to get down on her own now, but I am still wondering if I will get another call to rescue her again sometime.
Susan told me that Trixie is normally very friendly and social with strangers, and she proved it on her second rescue. I am not surprised when even a friendly cat gets scared by the size and noise of a bucket truck coming up to them in a tree, so I was hoping that Trixie would respond much better to my slow, quiet approach.
Trixie is a five year old brown tabby girl, and she has been forced to live in the garage and outdoors due to Susan's allergies. Susan is trying to find a new indoor home for Trixie, and Trixie is such a friendly girl, that she would make a very nice pet for anyone. In the meantime, however, Trixie has a problem climbing this tree, and Susan is not sure why.When I arrived, I found Trixie perched about 35 feet high crying constantly for help, and she had been in the tree for two nights. As I looked around, I found several clumps of cat hair on the ground which appeared to me to be the result of a cat fight. The cat hair was not Trixie's color, and when I showed it to Susan, she said that it likely belongs to a large, mean male cat that has been coming around lately. Susan has even caught this intruder in the garage eating from Trixie's bowl. So now we know the likely reason why Trixie is climbing the tree so often. While Trixie is spayed, we don't know about the male stranger.
As I prepared to shoot my throw-line into the tree well above Trixie, I explained to Susan what I was doing. I told her that this process scares some cats causing them to climb higher or lower. When I shot my line into the tree, indeed, Trixie got very nervous, and I could hear it in her voice. She squirmed around a bit, but stayed in the same area. As I pulled the weighted bag back through the tree to get it in the position I wanted, it created more commotion and noise up above Trixie and caused her to get even more frightened. She began to look for a way down, but the only way down was straight down the vertical trunk of the tree. She went down a little, turned her body around backward to hang on better, and began to work her way down the trunk of the tree. She was doing a great job of properly climbing down backwards, and I was cheering for her all the way. She carefully and slowly worked her way all the way down the trunk of the tree until she was about six feet from the ground. At that point, she jumped to the ground.
Easy rescue.
Trixie looked fine and showed no fear of me. She visited with me and even rubbed against my legs a couple of times. She proved to me that she was indeed a very friendly girl. I hope that Susan is successful in finding a home for Trixie. If you know anyone who is interested, please contact me, and I will put you in touch. Hopefully, Trixie can find a new home before she gets chased up the tree by that mean tom cat again. I would like to think that this experience has taught her how to get down on her own now, but I am still wondering if I will get another call to rescue her again sometime.