Simon's Fifth Rescue

This is the fifth time I have rescued Simon, and because I know what many of you are thinking, I want first to offer an explanation to ease your mind. Yes, Simon is an inside cat. Yes, his family knows he likes to escape and does what they can to prevent that, but Simon can be very sneaky and determined. Also, Simon is unusual in that he has a magnetic attraction to trees, so when he escapes, he runs straight to them. To prevent him from climbing, his family has nail caps put on his claws, and, in fact, this time when he escaped, it was just two hours before his appointment to get new nail caps. One more thing: Simon is a cool, super-sweet, cooperative kitty, and I love to rescue him. All that said, it's true that his rescue count is getting up there. Indeed, he is now tied for second place among all the cats I have rescued. He still needs three more rescues to catch up with the leader, but given his circumstances and youth -- he is nineteen months old -- I think it's possible that he might actually be able to pull it off.

Simon's timing was not good, not only in terms of his vet appointment, but also because of the Christmas holidays. Cats don't care about holidays, and this is the third time as best I can remember that I have done a rescue on Christmas day, and, ironically, one of those was for the cat I have rescued eight times. Simon's family asked only if I could rescue him the day after Christmas, but I volunteered to bring that sweet boy down early so he would not have to spend three nights in the tree. I don't mind. Traffic is certainly better on Christmas day.

While I had some trouble and frustration getting my rope installed in the tree, Simon, as usual, was very cooperative and easy to rescue. He was at the top of a double-stem Sweetgum tree, and when I climbed up to him, it was as if he had been expecting me. We got reacquainted, and then I picked him up and placed him on my lap where I had already spread the bottom of the cat bag. He settled in calmly and was very patient with me as I struggled to get the sides of the bag out from under him so I could pull it up around him. He didn't mind. He trusted me fully and knew he would soon be home where the food is. He and his family are all happy and safe at home, but I know he is eyeing that door and waiting for another opportunity to burst out into the fascinating outdoor world again.