Buffy

I was in no mood for a cat rescue.  I was still very tired from Sylvester's rescue the day before.  I did not sleep well that night and needed a day off, but, in spite of my wishes, my phone rang, and I simply could not ignore it.  Lacy in St. Amant called to report an unknown cat stuck in a tree in her yard.  She did not recognize the cat and was not able to care for it herself.  She said there were very few cats around her neighborhood because most people had cat-hating dogs.  It was probably a dog that chased this cat up the tree.

 So, not only do I have a rescue to do, it's another unknown cat, no one is there to care for it, and it can't be returned to the same place after neutering.  Since this was in Ascension parish, I called CARA's House, the parish animal shelter, to verify that they would be able to take this cat after I rescued it.  If the owner did not claim it, they would make it available for adoption.

 I drove out to the site and soon found the kitty in the tree.  It was a common Tallow tree and the buff-colored kitty, which appeared to be a juvenile, was resting about 25 feet high in a tight fork of the trunk.  She called to me below and appeared to be a friendly female.  With a sweet face and cute voice like that, I was hopeful that this would be an easy rescue.

I had some difficulties getting my rope installed in the tree, and the commotion I created above her disturbed her.  However, she never moved from her position or even stood up from her crouching pose.  I climbed up to her slowly while gauging her reaction, and she continued to remain calm.  Once I was close enough, I reached my hand up to her to sniff.  She was satisfied with that, so I climbed up a little higher.  Soon I was touching and petting her, and she remained perfectly calm.

I thought she might be willing to walk into a carrier without any enticement, so I held it up to her.  She looked inside but did not move.  To make it more enticing, I opened a can of food.  While she had no reaction to the sound of the can as I opened it, she was interested in the food and took a few bites.  I put the food in the back of the carrier and held it up to her again.  This time she looked inside, stood up and slowly stepped inside.  I closed the door and brought her down.

Easy rescue.  That was just what I needed.  I wasn't feeling so tired anymore.

 I drove her over to CARA's House, and they happily checked her into the kitty hotel where she will be staying for a while.  They will check her out and hold her for a few days to give the owner time to claim her.  Otherwise, they will put her up for adoption, and a kitty as sweet and cute as this one is sure to go to a good home soon.