Susan and Robert already had their hands full with two litters of kittens that someone dropped off at their rural home in Walker, Louisiana, and they didn't need the added trouble of helping a different unknown cat stuck in a tree at the edge of their property. These are kind, responsible people, and they can't ignore the needy, homeless kittens or the cat stuck in a tree, so they began working to find some spay/neuter resources and homes for the kittens while also trying to help the cat in the tree find a way down. All their efforts to help the cat in the tree failed, but when they could not see her in the tree one morning, they thought she had come down on her own during the night as often happens. Unfortunately, they found her later that day higher in the tree, so this problem was still not resolved. They reached out to their veterinarian who referred them to me, and I went out there that same afternoon.
Shadow's rescue went well even though she was scared of me at first. She went farther out a limb when I first approached her, but I learned enough about her to know that she is a sweet, friendly kitty and would come back to me once I made it clear that I was not a threat. I placed some food at the end of a pole and held it in front of her, and she was clearly interested. I let her have a few bites and then pulled the food closer and closer to me as she followed it all the way down to me. Once she was within reach, I held my hand out for her to sniff, and then she let me pet her while she ate. She came all the way down the limb to me and was fully relaxed but focused on the food. I was in a position unsuitable for making a lap for her, so I dropped the cat bag all around her from above and then lifted her up into the bag to secure her inside.
