Yzma

When I see a cat this cute, I just assume it must be sweet too, and Yzma, the eight-month-old torby belonging to Reagan in Zachary, is, indeed, very sweet. Yzma somehow escaped her house without anyone noticing, and she found herself stuck in a huge tree in her backyard neighbor's yard. It's a good thing Yzma was so sweet and ready to greet me when I climbed up to her, because, if she had been scared, it would have been a nightmare to catch her in a tree this size with plenty of room to roam. She greeted me and made friends with me right away, and my plan was to get her to step on my lap so I could secure her in the cat bag as gently as possible. Even though she frequently likes to get in Reagan's lap, my lap was somehow not even on her radar. She wasn't even considering it. I asked Reagan if Yzma was comfortable being picked up and held and got a definite, "yes." So I decided to pick her up and place her on my lap where the cat bag had already been prepared. This turned out to be a mistake.

Yzma did not like for me to pick her up, and, suddenly, to her, I became an untrusted stranger who should be avoided. If I set her back down on the limb, I would never be able to catch up with her again in this tree. I tried to set her in my lap and calm her down, but she wanted only to escape. I had to grab her scruff to keep her under control, and her struggle to get away from me caused the bag on my lap to fall freely to the ground. Yes, I forgot to attach the safety lanyard on the bag to my harness. I was in trouble. Fortunately, I still had the carrier with me, so I pulled it up on my lap and opened it with my one free hand and shoved her inside. She handled it well, but I felt so disappointed that I had to be so rough with this sweet cutie. Her 24-hour stay in the tree is over, and she is safe at home again, but I hope she doesn't get stuck in that tree again, because, next time, I don't think she will be happy to see me.