It appears that the summer rescue slump is about over since I have had several calls lately. Fortunately, some of those calls resolved on their own, but I do have a few rescues to report, starting with Mimi in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mimi is a cute, gray tabby youngster who was stuck in a tree in his own yard for one night. He was unhappy being there and panting in the heat, but he was happy to see me climbing up to him. I love easy, receptive kitties like this, and all I had to do was hold the carrier up to him and wait for him to figure out what to do with it. He tried getting on top of the carrier at first, but that didn't seem right. Once he stepped inside, it all became clear to him as I closed the door and took him back down to the ground. He and his family are very happy to be safe inside at home again. I forgot to turn on my camera for the critical part of the rescue, so I have very few pictures to show.
The next rescue was just as easy but more complicated and urgent because this kitty was displaced far from home and in the dark. Kelsey lives in Pineville, Louisiana but was visiting friends in Springfield, Louisiana and brought her dear three-month-old kitty, Bibble, with her. Kelsey settled on that name when trying many names and nonsense words just to see if any evoked a response in the kitty, and Bibble was the only word that worked. Bibble escaped outside in this rural area, and some dogs immediately began chasing him. He ran into the woods and smartly climbed a Pine tree to escape the dogs, but he was stuck at least 30 feet high there. To make matters worse, this happened just after sunset, and Kelsey planned to return home early the next morning. Kelsey wasted no time in seeking help and called me, but it was already fully dark when I got the call.
Normally, it is best to give a cat time to figure out how to climb down on his own, but if Bibble climbed down or fell down during the night, he would likely become lost or the victim of predators, so an immediate rescue is necessary. On the other hand, when a cat is chased up a tree by predators, he is in prey mode and not likely to be receptive to a rescue until he has had enough time to calm down and feel safe again, so delaying the rescue is usually advisable. That is especially true for cats who are normally skittish or afraid of strangers, but, fortunately, Bibble is a relaxed and friendly boy, so my hope was that he would be calmed down enough by the time I got there.
When I arrived, I was pleased to see that Bibble appeared so relaxed that he might even be napping. The dogs were long gone and forgotten, and he wasn't concerned about the noise the people made on the ground or all the lights shining on him or even the sound of a Barred owl very close in the woods. He remained relaxed while I climbed up to him, and once I was close, he perked up and appeared happy to see me. When I was close enough to reach out to touch him, he started purring. I already knew that he liked his carrier at home, so I pulled up the carrier and held it up over my head in front of him. Bibble did not hesitate to walk inside. I closed the door and took this sweet baby back down. He is now back home in his own familiar territory where he is safe and comfortable again. A short video of the rescue is below.
