Ellie, Missy, and Little Bit

The cat rescue business has been strangely quiet the past few weeks, but I got several calls which, except for three, resolved without my intervention. The three rescues I did all are lacking in video and pictures because I failed to remember to turn on the camera. Two of the rescues were unusual because the cats were elderly, and the other one was for a cat I have already rescued twice before.

First was Ellie, a twelve-year-old, brown tabby girl in Ponchatoula, Louisiana who had been stuck in a tree for four nights before her owners found me. After I installed my rope in the tree, she moved down a little bit and settled in a fork where a fallen, dead limb had come to rest, and that limb restricted both her movement and mine. She was a little nervous about me but tolerated me long enough for me to grab her by the scruff and bag her. She handled it very well and is quite happy to be back home again.

Missy, in Denham Springs, Louisiana, is another elderly tabby girl who got stuck in a tree. At thirteen, Missy is actually one year older than Ellie, but she was stuck in a tree for only one night. Missy never wanders beyond the front porch, but some loose dogs chased her up the tree and caused much misery for Missy and her worried family. Missy is normally a friendly girl, but she was concerned about this strange man in the tree with her, and I never could get her to warm up to me. She tolerated me and stayed in place, but she wasn't going to be as cooperative as I had hoped. I hated to do it, but I had to grab her by the scruff and bag her just like I did Missy. That's all forgotten now, and Missy is down and safe at home again with her relieved family.

Little Bit, the two-year-old troublesome kitty near Franklinton, Louisiana, who I rescued twice before, did it a third time. Yes, he is an inside-only cat, but he likes to escape. This time, he went into the woods across the street and climbed a slender Pine tree. He had to climb 55 feet high before he could find any limbs suitable for a resting place. It was a windy day, and he was swaying in the wind fairly vigorously. So was I when I climbed up to him. He showed little response to me or anything else. He wasn't afraid or worried. He looked more bored than anything, or maybe he was just seasick from all the swaying. But he perked up when I held a carrier in front of him, and he stepped inside for the ride back down to the ground. He is safe at home now, and he and his family are all happy about that.