Kitty

Kitty can't afford to be spending six nights stuck in a tree. She was the runt of the litter and is already too small, so she needs to be gaining weight, not losing it. But that is what happened when someone turned their dogs loose, and they chased Kitty up the skinny Pine tree in her own yard in McHenry, Mississippi. James and his wife were distraught and tried everything they knew to do to help Kitty down, but all their efforts and phone calls for help failed until someone told them about me.

I have to admit that my heart sank when I first saw where Kitty was in the tree. She was at least fifty feet high, and I was not sure if that tree would allow me to reach her. The way the tree was swaying in the light wind planted both doubt and alarm inside me, but I was determined to climb as high as I could safely go and hope for the best. I planned to see how it felt as I went along, and, if it got too dangerous, I would have to come up with another plan or abort the rescue.

As I climbed the tree, I passed two weak sections in the stem that would be of concern if the tree began to sway excessively, but I was pleased to notice that the tree was handling my weight just fine. The curvy top of the tree was clearly off limits, so I was really hoping that Kitty would help me out by coming down to me at least a little bit, and, fortunately, she did just that. When she saw me coming up toward her, she came down to the point where the curvy top began, and that was all the help I needed. Once I reached that point, I could not quite reach her with my hand, but when I held the carrier up above my head, I could place the opening at her feet, and this sweet girl readily stepped inside. After a careful descent, she was finally back on the ground.

James took Kitty inside, and his wheelchair-bound wife was thrilled to see Kitty safe and sound. They celebrated her return and gave her everything she needed to fully recover including water, food, love, and a comfortable place to sleep.

My camera man somehow completely failed to mount the camera on my helmet, so I have no pictures or video to share. Thankfully, James came through and provided all the pictures seen here.