Pumpkin

This is Pumpkin. She was a foster kitten who had the good fortune of getting sick just before she was scheduled to be transported to another rescue organization. Because of her illness, she could not be transported, and, as a result, her fosters decided to keep her. She is ten months old now and living a happy life in Baton Rouge, until she went outside and explored behind a neighbor's fence where she discovered an unneighborly dog who chased her up a tree. Gary noticed her absence right away and began searching for her, but it was not until the next morning that he found her by following her cries.

When I climbed up to Pumpkin, I found her very calm and a bit sluggish, probably due to being a black cat in the June heat. She was panting and suffering in the heat, and I wished I had thought to bring some water up in the tree with me. She showed no fear or distrust with me, and she let me pet her, but she wasn't making any effort to step on my lap. When I moved to a better position in front of her, she was more interested, and, after a little encouragement, she stepped on my lap. I had already spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap, so all I had to do was pull the sides of the bag up around her to secure her inside.

Pumpkin was soon back inside her cool home where she could drink, eat, and rest on her favorite, soft sofa cushion. One day is usually not a long time for a cat to be stuck in a tree, but during our hot summer season, it gets to be more serious, especially for a black cat exposed to direct sunlight. Pumpkin has fully recovered, and she was lucky that Gary found her so soon, but I'm sure she doesn't want to do that again.