Unknown Black Cat
When Kacee called me about an unknown black cat that was stuck in a Pine tree in her Baton Rouge backyard, it had been in the tree only a few hours. Normally, I like to give a cat one night to see if it can figure out how to come down on its own, because many do just that. It's also to the cat's advantage to have that challenging opportunity to learn the skill of climbing down, so it can climb down from a tree in the future. Kacee sounded disappointed when I told her all of this, but she understood, and I agreed to rescue the cat in the morning if it was still there. An hour later, Kacee called me again and asked if I would please rescue the cat now. She was very worried about it and couldn't bear to see it suffer any longer. I understand that. After all, rescues are as much for the people as the cats, so I agreed to go out there right away.
I never know what to expect with an unknown cat, but I was encouraged by what I found when I arrived. The black cat was resting about 25 feet high on the lowest limb of a Pine tree which would be easy to climb, and the cat appeared tame and even friendly. He had little reaction to my rope installation even though the rope passed right in front of his face. As I climbed up to him, he stayed relaxed and spoke to me as I approached. He needed no introduction. He simply rubbed his face on my hand once I reached it out to him, and I knew I had a sweet kitty. He was ready for some attention and loving, and I gave it to him. He seemed anxious to step on my lap, so I got in position for him to do just that and prepared the cat bag over my lap. He stepped on my lap, and I petted him there for a minute and then pulled the bag up around him.
Back on the ground, I checked him for a microchip but did not find one. Kacee had already created a post on Nextdoor to see if he belonged to anyone, but, at that time, no one had responded. However, the next door neighbor told me that his wife had seen the cat many times in the neighborhood, so it seemed likely that he lived nearby. I decided it was best to let him go and hope he returned home but not until after I gave him plenty to eat. He was such a sweet cat. Even though he was free to leave, he visited with all the other people there and kept returning to me to rub against my legs. When I picked him up, he would purr and rub his head under my chin. The last report I heard from Kacee, the cat appeared to go home just a few houses down the street, so I hope all is well with this sweet boy now.