Tigger
Tigger is a sweet, 10-month old black cat who lives with three dogs. He is comfortable around dogs, but when the big Doberman across the street started chasing him, Tigger was not taking any chances. He quickly scampered up the nearest tree to safety. He avoided the dog but found himself stuck 20 feet high in the tree.His mama, Frances, bravely used a ladder to try to reach him and came so very close. If she stood on the next-to-highest rung, she could just reach him well enough to touch him, but not well enough to pick him up or pull him down. After Tigger had spent two nights in the tree, Frances finally found me. She told me about the vultures flying by overhead, and I did not want to let Tigger stay up there any longer.
The tree was positioned between a fence and a large ditch and another smaller tree was growing immediately next to it. Tigger was set at the top of the trunk where it split into stems that each went off in different directions. He had a comfortable place there, but there were no branches above him that I could use to tie my rope. I found only one branch that I could use that would place me only a few feet away from Tigger, but when I tried to pull my rope over that branch, it would not go. I tried to pull it from the opposite direction, and, again, it would not go. It was not clear from the ground, but the crotch had a deep, narrow groove partially obscured by some vines, and it was too narrow for the rope to fit.
Since that was not working and Tigger was expected to be a cooperative cat, I decided to climb the ladder and hold the carrier high above my head to see if Tigger could be lured inside by some food. Ladders scare me, so this was not my favorite thing to do, but I thought it was worth a try. I brought my harness and lanyard with me to tie myself to the tree once I got to the top. Tigger watched me as I approached and was calm. I held my hand up to him, and he sniffed it and let me touch him. I opened a can of food and presented that to him, but, while he sniffed it, he showed no interest in eating it. That was disappointing, but I decided to use it to lure him inside the carrier.When I held the carrier up to him, he looked inside and appeared somewhat interested, but he was hesitant to go inside. He eventually stepped inside with just his front legs, but would go no farther. The carrier failed, so I pulled it down and went back down the ladder.
I decided I had to try placing the rope on the same branch again, but this time, I planned to try to keep it farther away from the crotch. This time I was able to get the rope over the branch, but once I did, it slid down the sloping branch to the crotch. While the tight crotch made it more difficult to pull the rope through, it was working, and I was able to set my rope.I climbed up to Tigger and he happily greeted me. He even stepped onto my lap a couple of times. We visited for a minute or two and then I scruffed him into the bag. As I did so, he grabbed the branch with his front claws. When I pulled his legs away, he latched his claws into my hand instead. I secured him in the bag, brought him down and gave him to Frances. Frances took him home, released him inside and fed him. Tigger was glad to be home.
