I was contacted by three different extended family members -- all roughly at the same time and each without the knowledge of the others -- about a cat stuck in a tree in Kaplan, Louisiana. After I determined that these were all referring to the same cat instead of three different cats, I learned that the entire extended family was heavily involved in finding help for this one beloved, nine-month-old calico. The cat's name is Lily, and she lives with Doies, Ashley, and their two children, all of whom were very upset at her predicament and their inability to help her. It was already well after dark when they contacted me, so I made arrangements to go there the following morning.
Lily's rescue was very easy. I installed a rope very close to her and climbed up to find her very relaxed and receptive. It was as if we do this every day. Because of our positions relative to each other, I decided it would be best to secure her in a carrier for descent. I held the open carrier up to her, and she calmly walked inside. It was when I pulled the carrier back toward me that I made a big blunder. I failed to notice that the open door was caught on a limb, and as I pulled the carrier back to me, the limb pulled the door completely off the carrier, and it fell to the ground. There was no need to panic, but there I was with a cat in a carrier with no door to contain her for our ride back down to the ground. I have never had this happen before, and I wasn't quite sure what to do. At first, I considered putting her on my lap and bagging her, but it eventually occurred to me that I could simply hold the carrier with the opening against my body to keep her contained. That is what we did, and as can be seen in the video below, Lily handled it all just fine.
Once we were safely back on the ground, Ashley came over, pulled Lily out of the carrier, and carried her inside. Lily remained cool and fully relaxed the entire time. Ashley and Doies are relieved, their children are not crying for their kitty anymore, and the rest of the extended family is also happy to have Lily safe at home again. It was impressive and heartwarming to see the whole extended family and neighbors all involved, invested, and caring about this helpless kitty, and it was fun and satisfying for me to be able to bring this drama to a safe and peaceful resolution.
