Nala and Cheeto

Nala desperately needed help. This six-month-old kitty was stuck at least 40 feet high in a tree at the edge of a wooded area next to a used car lot in Albany, Louisiana, and she cried out constantly and loudly for help. Her family was down below talking to her, but they did not appear to be helping her down at all. She spent the night in the tree, and her family was back there the next morning talking to her again, but they still did not help her down. They walked around, talked to each other, and went out of sight for long periods of time, but they didn't do anything to help her. Nala continued to cry out for help, but no one appeared to care, and, again, she spent another hopeless night in the tree. Nala could not know it, but her family was feeling just as desperate as she was, and they were trying very hard to figure out a way to help her down. I could hear how desperate and worried they were when they called me, and I went over there right away.

Nala was as ready as she could be for a rescue. She watched me with hopeful intensity as I climbed up to her, and she was ready to greet me. No introductions were needed. She just wanted to catch this ride down now before it left without her. I spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap, and she stepped fully on my lap without hesitation. I pulled the sides of the bag up around her, and she settled calmly there on my lap purring while I took her back down. Rescues just don't get any easier or cuter than this.

The next rescue was for an unknown cat who appeared in Kristin's tree in Central, Louisiana. Kristin thought the cat might belong to her neighbor, but she wasn't sure and was unable to contact the neighbor to find out. Even if it did not belong to that neighbor, she had seen the cat around for a long time, so it likely belonged to someone in the neighborhood. I always like to find the owner before I rescue the cat so I can return it to its proper home, but in this case, it was likely safe to turn the cat loose so it could return home on its own.

The orange tabby boy turned out to be very sweet. I had to spend a minute to reassure him and lure him to me in the tree, but he came to me and enjoyed all the petting I gave him. Since he was so comfortable with me, I spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap and encouraged him to step on my lap. He did so, and I secured him inside the bag for the short ride back down to the ground.

While the cat was still in the bag, I checked him for a microchip and found one. We still let him go, but he decided he was enjoying hanging around with us. I packed my gear and left fully expecting him to go back home, but once I got home, I called the microchip company to report the cat. The cat had been reported missing the day before, and the microchip company surprised me by contacting the owner while I waited and connecting us together so we could arrange the reunion. I learned that the cat's name is Cheeto, and he did indeed live just a few houses down from where he was found. Cheeto, however, had not yet returned home, so I gave the owner the address where I found him. Before we could exchange any more information, we somehow got disconnected, and neither of us had the other's contact information. I called the microchip company again, and they left a message for the owner with my contact information. I never heard back from the owner, but Kristin told me that the owner walked over there to her house where she found Cheeto still visiting in the yard with her. They were happily reunited, and Cheeto is safe back at home again. Due to a camera malfunction, I have very few pictures of Cheeto in the tree.