Kitty

I often get calls to rescue a cat when he has been stuck in the tree for only a few hours or even minutes. Generally, I don't rescue a cat unless he has been stuck in the tree at least one night, and the main reason for that is because many cats will come down on their own, and it's especially at night when they tend to do that. When possible, it is to everyone's benefit to give the cat an opportunity and challenge to learn how to climb down, because, if he does so, then he will have learned a valuable new skill which he can use to rescue himself the next time. It also saves me unnecessary work, risk, and time. It is also much easier to rescue a cat after he has had time to face the reality that he is indeed stuck and has had time to calm down and feel safe again, especially if he was chased there by a predator. If I go there too soon, I am likely to find a nervous and uncooperative cat, and that makes the rescue more difficult and risky.

There are exceptions, however. For example, if a cat has been displaced, that is, in a "foreign" territory such as a cat who escapes after being transported away from home, then his rescue becomes more urgent. That is one time you do not want the cat to come down on his own, because he could then run away and become lost, and that is much worse than being stuck in a tree. Similarly, though not quite as serious, if an indoor cat who has never been outside escapes his house and gets stuck in a tree in his own yard, then you could argue that he, too, is displaced. However, in most of these cases, the cat will know where home is and will return there if he comes down. This was the situation with Kitty, a one-year-old white cat in Walker, Louisiana. Kitty had been stuck less than one hour when Melissa called me, and it was too soon to try to rescue her. In addition, I was already on my way to rescue Sly, but, I decided to stop at least to assess the situation after rescuing Sly, especially since I would be passing close to there on my way home anyway.

When I arrived, I found Kitty in a small, multi-stem tree where all the stems leaned and arched away from the center. Kitty was securely nestled in a spot where I would be able to reach her, but, if she walked farther out the stem, I would not be able to go past that point without risking the failure of the entire stem. I was encouraged by Kitty's calm disposition, however, and it appeared to me that she would be receptive and cooperative. Unfortunately, my clumsy climbing of this leaning stem created more disturbance than Kitty could stand, and she became nervous and walked all the way out to the end of the stem far out of my reach.

I tried to lure Kitty back to me, but she would not come any closer. I tried to use my catch-pole, but she was just beyond my reach. The only other option I had to secure her was to set a trap for her, but I didn't think a trap would be workable on this steep stem. In a case like this, it is important to secure her so that she does not have a chance to run off into the nearby woods and become lost, so we didn't want to force her to fall. Ultimately, I had to give up because I had no way to secure her. I have not had to leave a cat in the tree in a very long time, but I left with the intention of returning the next morning with fresh energy, ideas, and determination. In the meantime, I advised that they leave the window from which Kitty escaped open because cats often try to return to the point of escape. The window, however, was in the front, and the tree was in the back, so I also advised them also to make a safe hiding place for Kitty to go that was close to the tree. They set up a large dog-sized carrier on top of a platform by a back window, and they left that window open too.

I spent the rest of the night agonizing over what I would do in the morning. Melissa checked on Kitty frequently during the night, and at 4:30 in the morning, she heard Kitty meowing from outside the front of the house. Kitty was under the house, and when Melissa went outside, Kitty came straight to her, and they both went inside with a huge sigh of relief. I, too, was very relieved for this happy ending, and I was also happy that I did not need to make a return trip.

I was left wondering if the outcome would have been the same if I had not made a rescue attempt. Was my rescue attempt a waste of time and effort with no effect on the outcome? Did it set the stage for the successful outcome? Did it prevent a worse outcome? I'll never know the answers, of course, and the answers to the same questions may be very different in different cases. So, whether I attempt a rescue on the first day or wait till the next day, I will continue to question if I am doing the right thing.