Cat Rescue Guy

The severe cold wave that has invaded my area -- and is still holding us in a freezing chokehold as I write -- caused a flurry of rescue calls for cats who were stuck in a tree. The first call was for Wendy, a cat that I rescued in Baton Rouge just a few hours before the cold wave invasion. More about her below. Later that evening, as the rain was beginning to freeze, I got two calls within one minute of each other. One was in Walker, and the other was in New Orleans. Travel was beginning to become dangerous, but, fortunately, both rescues resolved on their own before I could do anything but think about it. One cat came down on its own, and the other was rescued by someone local. During the night, I got a message about another cat in Napoleonville, but, luckily, they were able to get the cat down on their own, though I never learned how. So I feel very lucky to have avoided three rescues in miserable cold, and I also feel lucky that I was able to rescue a sweet cat like Wendy. Wendy is

My favorite way to bring a cat down from a tree is on my lap. That is the simplest, most natural and most pleasant way to bring a cat down, but it's rare that I get to do it. Most of the time, it's simply not feasible or suitable, usually because it would not be safe, so to determine when it is appropriate, I have a checklist of requirements that must be met before I will consider it. When I arrived to rescue Simon near Bunkie, it was clear that this would be one time when a lap rescue might be appropriate. He was only 20 feet high in a tree that is easy to climb, and as I walked around the tree, he followed me and walked out long limbs to get as close to me as he could. Knowing this seven-month-old, part Maine coon is fond of sitting on the laps of his family, I was pretty sure he would want to step on my lap as well. Even as I was installing my rope in the tree, I was already going through my checklist: Cat does not need to be secured for any special reason. Check. We are les

I did a sweet little rescue today, and they don't get much easier than this. It was a calico kitty found about 25 feet high in a Sweetgum tree in Denham Springs, and no one knew anything about the cat. I climbed up to her, and she was ready and waiting for me. She wanted to step on my lap right away, but I delayed her until I could spread the cat bag over my lap first. Once that was done, she stepped on my lap as if I were family. She rubbed her head on my arm, settled in, and showed me she fully trusted me even while I pulled the bag up around her. I did not find a microchip on her, but she is in good hands now, and efforts are being made to find her family.