Prince and Bobbie

It is such a joy to rescue a sweet cat. I love to rescue a cat who trusts me from the start and knows without question that my intentions are friendly. Of course, I always do my best to convey my friendly intentions, but many cats remain unconvinced while others, like these next two kitties I rescued, don't need to be persuaded at all. They trust me just because I am there, and it never occurs to them that I could be anything else but friendly.

First was Prince, a super-sweet brown tabby boy who is seven years old. He was stuck for one night in a Pine tree in his yard in rural Zachary, Louisiana, and his adoring family was very distressed about it. Prince was stuck on a smaller stem leaning away from the larger tree, so I climbed the large tree and pulled myself over to Prince. He was ready. No introductions were needed. I spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap, and Prince stepped on it, plopped down, and curled up there in my arms with a sense of relief so strong that I could feel his breath on my arm as he sighed. I secured him in the bag, took him down, and released him from the bag while he was still on my lap since his mama was sitting nearby waiting impatiently to get her sweet baby back in her arms. Prince walked straight to her, and she picked him up and placed him on her lap. Prince began repeatedly rubbing his face all over hers, and I'm not sure which one of them enjoyed it the most. It is a beautiful and meaningful sight, and it feels wonderful to be able to make that happen.

The next rescue was for Bobbie, a Siamese bobtail who mysteriously appeared at Jenny's home two years ago in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The cat's owner was never found, but Jenny was happy to adopt this sweet, affectionate girl. Her age and the story behind the bobtail remain unknown, but we can at least estimate her age to be about four years. Bobbie was stuck for one night at the top of a dying tree whose top had broken off long ago. The tree still had some life in it, but Bobbie was on the top limb which did not appear to be well supported at the trunk. It was a troublesome, sketchy tree to climb, but I managed to climb to where my head was almost at Bobbie's level. I could not get any higher, and I was in no position where I could make a lap where I could place Bobbie. My climb involved squeezing through some very tight spots, so I didn't bring the carrier with me. My only option was to grab her by the scruff and drop the cat bag around her, and I felt rude doing that to such a sweet, innocent kitty. She handled it all politely and gracefully, and I took her back down through the gauntlet of tight squeezes. Once on the ground, I gave her to Jenny, and, again, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the beautiful sight of relief and love on Jenny's face as she held Bobbie in her arms and carried her inside while talking to her softly.

I feel so lucky to be able to do something so meaningful and to actually be present so often to witness these sweet reunions and see the beauty in the personal expressions of their bond and love. The uncertainty and vulnerability of the past days are gone, and in their place are the joy and safety of being together again. Sometimes I feel that I am trespassing on their privacy and should turn my head, but the beauty of those intimate moments is too compelling to miss, and it fills my heart and brightens my view. This is the uplifting and rewarding joy of rescue work, and I don't want to miss it.