Cat Rescue Guy

Sarah does not know why her four-month-old cat, Pepper, climbed the large Live Oak tree in the front yard early that evening, but she suspects it was probably due to a new, neighbor's cat who has recently been coming into her yard and harassing Pepper and her littermate, Smokey. Whatever the reason, there was Pepper sitting up high in the tree looking cute and helpless, and Sarah and her family failed in all their many efforts to get Pepper down. When they called me early the next morning, I was delighted to learn that they were just one mile down the road from me. It is so nice when I don't have to travel far. While I was preparing to climb the tree, Smokey came over to inspect me and my gear very thoroughly while Sarah explained that she got my phone number from her sister-in-law whose cat, Boo, I rescued five years ago, and that rescue -- actually, I rescued Boo twice -- was even closer to home. Pepper and Smokey are both well socialized and tolerant of the kinds of movement...

My favorite way to bring a cat down from a tree is on my lap. I will usually have a hand on him ready to restrain him from jumping down too soon if needed, but, otherwise, he is not contained in a bag or carrier, he can see exactly what is happening, and he feels more of a sense of control over his situation. Of course, I don't do this very often because certain requirements must be met before it can be considered a safe and appropriate option, yet, despite its uncommon occurrence, I have already done two of these just within the first week of the new year. The first was for Violet, a sweet, six-month-old black kitty who was stuck about 20 feet high in a dying tree in her yard in Walker, Louisiana. Violet is one sibling in an orphaned litter of kittens who Claudia has been raising with great care since they were all extremely tiny. Violet and her siblings are all well socialized, so I had no trouble making friends with her in the tree. After we got acquainted with each other, I pic...

I was surprised when I looked back at all the rescues of the 2025 calendar year and found that I finished the year with a total of 96. That isn't many compared to some rescuers, but that is 96 cats and at least 96 cat owners whose suffering was relieved, and I am proud to have a hand in that. Included in that group are these next three rescues which were the last three of the year, and, yes, I am a bit behind schedule as 2026 has already gotten off to a fast start. First is Sophia, a six-year-old black kitty with no tail who was stuck for only 12 hours in a tree in her yard in Watson, Louisiana. She wasn't very friendly with me, but she tolerated me politely even when I bagged her. When I took her down to the ground, I set her down on the ground while I disconnected everything so that I could carry her back to the house. Before I could finish, I noticed movement in the corner of my eye and looked up to find that she had quietly escaped out of the bag, a feat I did not think pos...

Prada is the sweetest cat I have ever rescued, so when I got the call that this six-year-old got stuck in the same tree a second time, I was happy to go rescue her again. Prada lives in Sunset, Louisiana with a family that includes two dogs, so when the dogs are let out into the backyard, Prada likes to try to escape with them. Her family has done a good job of preventing that, but they were out of town when Prada took advantage of the unsuspecting pet sitter and slipped out the door with the dogs. I don't know why she climbed the tree behind the fence, but there she was, and she was stuck for one night. Prada was very happy to see me in the tree with her. After we reintroduced ourselves, she relaxed and started purring while walking around and repeatedly rubbing her head and face on my hands, arms, face, ropes, gear, tree, and my camera which is when you will especially be able to hear her purring in the video (below). She was so intent and persistent in rubbing her face on everyt...