Juliet

Juliet is a cute, one-year-old torby who lives with Laremy and Brittany at their rural home near Clinton, Louisiana. Juliet has been indoors all her life so far, but was just given the opportunity to cautiously explore some of the outdoor world when Laremy happened to start his lawnmower. The sudden, unexpected loud noise scared Juliet, and she instinctively ran to the nearest tree at the edge of the woods and climbed it to escape any danger. Laremy and Brittany tried to coax her down, but Juliet could not manage it, and she was well beyond the reach of their ladder.

When I arrived, Juliet had been in the tree one night. She was in a skinny Sweet Gum tree, and she was at the top about 40 feet high. The limbs were too small for me to trust, so I could not install my rope in the usual way. I used the ladder to get a head start, and then I slowly worked my way up to the top.

Juliet was sweet and receptive when I finally approached her. She remained relaxed as she sniffed my hand and let me pet her. There was not enough room in this tree to bring the carrier with me, so I bagged her and brought her down. She complained a little bit about it, but I calmed her down before going down.

After being released inside, her litter-mate sister did not recognize her scent and was rather unwelcoming. Cats can pick up a different scent after a significant time in a tree, and they recognize each other more by scent than sight. Juliet did not smell the same, so her sister thought she was a stranger. This sometimes happens when cats are returned home after a lengthy stay in a tree. To manage this, it is best to keep them separate for at least a day. You might try wiping the cat with a clean, damp rag to remove any excess tree scent, and then let it stay in a room where it commonly stays and is already marked with its scent. Then you should let the two cats swap places a few times so that they can each become familiar with the scent of the other without seeing each other. Hopefully, Juliet and her sister will soon be cuddling together as before. For now, though, Juliet is getting her rest by herself.