Gracie

After a long, exhausting rescue the day before, I was hoping for a quiet day to recover and rest, so I was very disappointed when my phone rang before 9:00 AM with news of another kitty in need. April called me desperately seeking help for her cat, Gracie, and it sounded like a very bad situation. The tree is in a wild, wooded area and next to a deep ravine, and Gracie has been stuck there for six, hot July days. To make matters worse, Gracie is pregnant.

It was a long drive to this poor, rural location, and shortly before I got there, I got a text message from April saying that she could not see or hear Gracie anymore. I called her right away to discuss this further, but April was crying and could barely speak. She assumed that Gracie had fallen and died, but I tried to reassure her that it is more likely that Gracie just moved to a different part of the tree as cats often do. I told her to continue searching for Gracie and let me know when she finds her. I would be there shortly to help search.

When I arrived, April still had not found Gracie, but as she led me toward the tree, she looked up and saw her. There was Gracie still in the tree. April was greatly relieved, and so was I, but I was also dismayed at the miserable situation I saw before me. It's not going to be easy to get a rope in this tree and then to climb it. I was facing another long, dehydrating day in the hot July sun. I brought more water with me than I thought I would need, but by the time I finished the troublesome process of installing my rope, I had already gone through most of my water.

The tree was  difficult and strenuous to climb, but Gracie could not have been any easier. She was very relaxed and hardly batted an eye as I approached her. In fact, she seemed too relaxed. She hardly lifted her head as I struggled to get into position close to her, and I don't think I have ever seen a cat so indifferent to my presence there. This was too unnatural, and I worried that something was wrong with her. I let her sniff my hand, but she had no reaction to it. I petted her gently, and she seemed comfortable with that. I held a squeeze-tube treat under her nose, but she showed no interest in it.

While I was certain that she would be comfortable resting on my lap, it was clear that she didn't have the energy or motivation to get there on her own power, so I spread the cat bag over my lap, petted her gently a few times, and then I used both hands to lift her under her chest and place her on my lap. Again, she had no reaction to it and didn't even shift her body into a more comfortable position on my lap. Either she is totally exhausted or something else is wrong with this girl. I secured her inside the bag and then took her back down to the ground.

April had to leave shortly after I arrived, but she gave me instructions to release Gracie on the front porch since that is where she spends most of her time and her food and water are there. I carried Gracie back to the front porch and talked to her along the way, and she never squirmed or spoke inside the bag. I set her down gently on the front porch and lowered the bag all around her where she could see where she was. In all the rescues I have ever done, this is the only time when the cat didn't jump or run out of the bag. Gracie just rested there calmly and made no effort to move. I offered her a can of food and some water, but she still had no interest in either. Something is wrong with this girl, and I decided then that I am going to take her to a veterinarian.

I had to walk back to my car to get my glasses so I could use my phone to find a veterinarian who would see her very soon. After a few phone calls, I found one who could see her in an hour, so I made that appointment and went back to check on Gracie. Gracie was gone. I could not find her anywhere, but it seemed likely that she went under the house where I could not go or even see her. I proceeded to pack all my gear while hoping that I could find her after that, but even then she was still nowhere to be found. I called the veterinarian and cancelled the appointment and returned home. I also called April to explain the situation to her, and I asked her to let me know when she finds Gracie.

When April returned home, she could not find Gracie either, but early the next morning, she found her and sent a video to me showing Gracie eating from her bowl and looking fine. April said that Gracie had a bloodied rear end, so she thinks that Gracie had her babies under the house where they can't be seen. She doesn't know anything about the kittens yet, but Gracie appears to be well.

I feel great regret that I did not secure Gracie in a carrier when I had the chance so that I could take her to the veterinarian, but I was not thinking that this lethargic cat would disappear while I stepped away for a minute. I have not had any new updates from April since then, but I hope that all is well there now. Yes, I found some spay/neuter resources in her city and referred her to them and offered to help with any costs, and I hope she will take advantage of that opportunity soon. In the meantime, I am just celebrating Gracie's survival and marveling at how it appears that she may have managed to delay the birth of her babies until she got down from that tree.