Pollyanna

She was fearless, not in the sense of confidently confronting a threat, but in the sense of innocently never perceiving a threat. She was delighted to see me approaching her in the tree, and there was never any thought in her mind that my intentions could be anything less than friendly. She felt no need to be even slightly cautious with me, because she saw nothing but the good in everyone and everything. In her optimistic view, I was there to help her, and I felt delighted and awe-struck by the beauty of such pure innocence and trust.

She was a pretty, juvenile calico -- I am guessing her age to be about nine months -- who had been stuck for at least three nights in a large, broad oak tree in Lafayette, Louisiana. It was Maddie who heard her and discovered her in the tree overhanging her backyard, but she did not recognize the cat. Maddie is a conscientious cat-lover and could not ignore the cat's cries for help, so she investigated the situation, tried to find the cat's owner, got the property owner's permission, and contacted me for help.

The tree was dense with foliage, and I created quite a disturbance as I pushed limbs out of my way to reach the cat, but she was not bothered by that as most would be. She patiently waited for me to come closer to her, then she stood up, walked down the limb a short distance, and returned to her original spot where I was now waiting. She introduced herself to me and took great pleasure feeling my hand petting her head and back. I spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap and placed my lap level with the limb. She readily stepped on my lap and forcefully pushed her head into my hand to soak as much comfort and love as she could absorb from my touch. Once she was settled on my lap, I pulled the sides of the bag up around her, secured her inside, and reassured her through the bag that she was safe.

I took her back down to the ground, but because we had not yet found the owner, I wasn't sure what to do with her. I scanned her for a microchip and found one, so I transferred her to a carrier and gave her a can of food to eat while I worked to gather more information about her. She was quite content to be in the carrier and very happy to have some food to eat. During a call to the microchip company, I learned that her chip was not registered but the chip was implanted by the Lafayette Animal Shelter. I called the animal shelter to see if they had any owner information and was told that this cat was one of several who were trapped, neutered, and returned to that neighborhood one month prior. Since she was already in her own territory, it was safe to release her, and she would likely return to her caretaker.

I opened the carrier, and she stepped out and strolled around with comfort and confidence. She  certainly didn't act like a cat in a strange territory. She visited with me and with Maddie and enjoyed the freedom and joy of being on the ground again. This happy kitty saw good everywhere she looked. She even followed Maddie home and ran into her house where she was not happily received by Maddie's own two cats. I'm sure she will be fine and will return to her sweet caretaker who taught her to be so trusting, and I'm sure she will find something good wherever she goes. Because of her cheerful, optimistic nature, I will call her Pollyanna in reference to the classic children's story and subsequent sequels by that name.