The sky was clear and blue, but it was cold when I arrived early that morning to see if I could help this cat. I was not fond of the idea of climbing that tree, but, fortunately, there was a taller and stronger sweet gum tree next to it that I could climb instead. I installed my rope there in a place that would allow me to be in easy reach of the cat.

I offered some food to him, but he showed no interest in it. With that and his apparent discomfort whenever I moved the carrier, I decided to bag him. I prepared the bag on my arm but was not satisfied with the position the cat was in. There were too many little limbs that were in the way or that he might grab once I attempted to bag him, so I waited a little while and encouraged him to move to a different spot. The poor little guy had become so much more trusting and comfortable with me, and he clearly felt deceived and betrayed when I put him in the bag. Now he was scared and crying again with new fear about his fate, and I could not console him.
I brought him down to the ground, and, while I still had him in the bag, I scanned him for a microchip even though I knew it was highly unlikely that he would have one. After all, he was not even neutered. After finding no chip, I transferred him to a carrier and packed my gear. Since I found him in Gonzales which is in Ascension parish, I took him to CARA's House, the parish animal shelter. I have been there several times in my dealings with other cats, and I know that they will take good care of him and do everything possible to find a new home for him. And if someone is missing this cat, that is the first place they will go to find him. I called ahead to let them know I was coming, and the friendly staff there met me and was excited to see the cat and evaluate him. They found him friendly and felt confident that he would be adopted. One of them wanted to name him after some kind of tree, so she named him Cedar. No, the tree I found him in was not a cedar, but that does not matter now. What matters now is that he is in good hands, his future holds promise and he is not stuck on top of that pole anymore.