Six Cold Kitties

Don't let the recent lack of activity on this site mislead you into thinking that cats haven't been getting stuck in trees lately. While this time of year has not been as busy as it usually is, I have done a few rescues during this cold spell and had several calls that resolved on their own before my intervention was needed. I'm still rescuing cats, but sometimes I don't have the time or energy to write the rescue report and edit the pictures. Now, however, I intend not only to get caught up on the rescues, but also to make a confession and tell the story about a ten-year-old girl who made a profound impression on me.

First, I must tell you about an unknown, ear-tipped brown tabby kitty who was stuck for one night in Wayne's backyard tree in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Attempts to locate the cat's owner failed, so I knew nothing about this cat. Since the cat appeared uneasy, I climbed up the very large Oak tree on the opposite side where the cat could not see me, and then I revealed myself when I was above him. I fully expected him to go down the tree on his own, but he didn't. He sat still and quiet as I slowly descended to him. He didn't move, didn't look at me, or make a sound. Once I was close, I could see he was trembling. That is a sight that breaks my heart in a big way. He felt trapped and was simply resigned to the fact that he was about to die at the hands of this big predator. I did my best to console and reassure him that he was safe with me, but my efforts were not having much, if any, effect. The longer I tried to console him with no effect, the longer I was simply prolonging his terror, so I decided to just get him down quickly. He was certainly not going to step on my lap or into a carrier, so I lifted him out of his little nest and bagged him. He never resisted or complained. Once on the ground, I scanned him for a microchip but did not find one. Since we had not found any posts reporting him lost, he appeared healthy, and his ear was tipped, I assumed he lived nearby and released him so he could return home.

The next rescue was for OJ, an eight-year-old orange tabby boy who was stuck for two very cold nights in a neighbor's Live Oak tree in Carencro. He was afraid of me but allowed me to get close to him and earn his trust with his favorite treat. As the sun was setting for a very cold night, I bagged him and brought him down to the relief of his family and several neighbors who were also deeply concerned about him. Unfortunately, I forgot to turn on my camera and got no pictures of this cutie.

Greysin's rescue was a four-hour marathon in the woods behind her home. She had been stuck for at least four freezing nights in a large, leaning, one-sided Oak tree that stretched its long branches far and high, and we spent the first hour just trying to find her. She was in sight just minutes before I arrived, but after they led me out to the tree, we could not find her. Her cries did not help enough to locate her in this far-spreading tree, and I eventually decided to set a rope over the part of the tree where I thought she might be and just climb up there and search for her. After I got my rope installed, she moved to a part of the tree where we could finally see her, but as I started to climb up to her, she moved far out near the end of the branch where my rope was now useless. I went back down and installed another rope closer to her. When I climbed up to her, it was clear she was too afraid of me to let me get close. I settled on her branch and tried to calm her down, but she continued to stay far out of my reach. I spent a very long time waiting there in the tree for her to calm down and see me in a more friendly light, and she eventually came close enough to me to sniff my hand. Apparently, that scent was not a pleasant one, and she retreated again, but the scent of food seemed to make a difference. It took some time to entice her to me with the food, and when she was within reach, I did not give her another chance to retreat. I grabbed her by the scruff and bagged her to bring this too-long ordeal to an end.

Leo is a seven-month-old orange tabby boy who got stuck 40 feet high in a tall tree in the wooded area by his rural home in Central, Louisiana. He was there only one night, but it was a cold night, and his family was very worried about him. Leo was the only one of these six rescue kitties who was sweet enough to step on my lap for an easy, gentle rescue.

Shadow is the name that Macie gave to this long-hair kitty that regularly came to her for a visit at her small apartment complex. Shadow is an unknown, but likely homeless, cat who was friendly with her, so she fed him every day. When Shadow got stuck in a tree next to her building, Macie searched for help but did not find me until after Shadow's third night in the tree. Again, like the other rescues, those nights were very cold ones. Shadow was not very high, but he was in a bad spot in a bad tree. I had to be very gentle and careful not to alarm him and make him climb higher because it would not have been safe for me to follow him on that stem. I took my time and did my best to keep him calm, and I eventually was able to get close enough to him to let him sniff my hand. That seemed to help, but offering him some food was even more helpful. I could pet him while he ate, so I prepared the cat bag over my arm, petted him while he ate, and then grabbed him by the scruff and inverted the bag around him. He was very happy to be back on the ground again, and he and Macie resumed their routine together.

Now let me tell you about Meowie, a one-year-old Snowshoe kitty who was stuck in a Pine tree for one whole hour. Yes, I often get calls for cats who have been stuck only a few minutes. Most of the time, I like to delay the rescue until the next day, but there are some exceptions, and, again, the cold weather played a large part. To be honest, I didn't want to go. It was a very cold and windy day, but mostly I was mentally and physically tired of doing rescues and just wanted an easy, uninterrupted day at home. I must admit that I am finding rescues to be harder to do both physically and mentally, but this family sounded very desperate, so I went anyway, albeit begrudgingly. From my place on the ground, Meowie appeared like a friendly and cooperative kitty, so I assumed she would be an easy rescue. She was indeed an easy rescue, but not in the way I expected. Once she saw me in the tree with her, she turned and walked away from me on a long limb and stepped into the top of another small tree. From there, she worked her way down to the ground on her own. All she needed was a little motivation. Her family, including a ten-year-old girl, was very relieved, and they took her back inside out of the cold wind. Meowie was gone before I had a chance to turn on my camera, so I got no pictures of her. The public domain picture below is not of Meowie, but she looked similar.

I began packing my gear while mumbling under my breath about wishing the cat had done that sooner so I wouldn't need to be there, and at that moment, the ten-year-old girl whose name I don't remember came out to me, stopped, looked at me and said, "Thank you for rescuing my cat. She means everything to me." With that, she turned and ran back inside leaving me standing there in the cold wind feeling so small and ashamed for complaining about being there. I, of all people, should not need to be reminded why this work is so important, especially by a ten-year-old, but that is exactly what I needed, and I am so grateful to that beautiful girl for giving me the strength and energy to carry on even when the weather is miserable and even when I feel tired and don't want to go. I don't remember your name, little girl, but I will always remember you and be thankful for the lesson you taught me.