Coco

Summer is the slow season for cat-in-tree rescues here, and August is the slowest month of them all. Of all the rescues I have done, only 4% occurred during August, and that is why I have been so quiet here lately. There are always a few kitties who buck the trend and find a way to get stuck in a tree during August, and I am always happy to help them down out of the heat. This time, it was Coco, a sweet five-month-old tabby girl who escaped out of her house near Watson, Louisiana where she immediately encountered a dog who scared her up a tree by her front porch. She settled on one of the lowest large limbs where she was safe from danger, but she was also clueless about how to get back down. Kim tried to coax her down, but Coco was not going to attempt such a scary feat. Kim wasted no time looking for help and called me only four hours after Coco first climbed the tree, and I was there an hour later.

Coco appeared very relaxed as she rested up there on the limb only twenty feet high, and I could tell that she was going to be a friendly, cooperative girl as long as I don't do anything to scare her. I climbed up to her as gently as I could, and she remained calm and unconcerned about me. I introduced myself to her, and she sniffed my hand and let me pet her. I climbed up a little higher, spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap, and she immediately and calmly stepped on my lap and settled down there. I pulled the sides of the bag up around her and secured her inside. She sure made this easy. Once I closed her up inside the bag, she felt betrayed and voiced her displeasure about it. That surprised me since most cats don't mind it at all. Her displeasure didn't last long, because it was a quick, short ride back to the ground where she was back in Kim's arms again and safely back inside the house. I'm sorry you got stuck in a tree, Coco, but I enjoyed having such an easy rescue to do during this slow period.