Kitty

When someone contacts me about a rescue that is two or three hours from me, I normally refer them to someone closer, and I also advise them about some do-it-yourself options suitable for their circumstances. This, combined with those cats who come down on their own, often results in a successful resolution without my having to make a long drive. This was my response to Susan who contacted me about an unknown cat who was stuck in a tree in her backyard in Long Beach, Mississippi.

Susan called the local rescuers but never got a return call from them, and that wasted one day. The next day, she arranged for a tree service to come out, but that didn't work out either. The next day, she and her husband, Bruce, made a ramp for the cat to come down on his own, but it was not quite adequate for the cat to use. When I saw this picture of what they had done, I offered a suggestion to improve it so the cat could successfully use it, and they did that. The cat was not high, and their ramp from the cat's limb down to the roof of their storage shed was at an angle the cat could easily handle, so I was confident the cat would use it. We gave him plenty of time to use it, but he didn't. By this time, the cat had been stuck in the tree for six nights, and I was not going to allow this to go any longer, so off I went to Long Beach.

I had to admire the efforts that Susan and Bruce expended in making the ramp, especially for a cat that was not their own. It was perfectly fine and should have worked for most cats, but this all-black cat was just too timid to try it. The cat was clearly tame and friendly, and he talked to me on the ground and followed me around as I moved from place to place. I installed my rope, climbed up to him, and found that he was indeed very friendly. He appeared to be roughly nine months old. After giving him some pets, I spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap and lured him to step on it. He was a bit too excited to step on my lap and stay still long enough for me to pull the bag up over him, so it took several attempts before we succeeded. When I finally had him secured in the bag, I brought him down to the ground.

To the surprise of Susan and Bruce, the cat belonged to their next door neighbor who happened to be outside at the time and noticed the activity. She knew her cat was missing but didn't know her cat was stuck in a tree next door. We let the cat out of the bag, and I had some food waiting for him. He forcefully pushed my hand out of the way with his head so he could get to that food even before I could finish dumping it all into the bowl. He lapped up every bit of the food, and then went home with the neighbor. I hate that it took so long to get this sweet boy down, but I love being able to help him even if it's a two-hour drive.