Lucky and Sweetgum

Cats can get stuck in trees, of course, but they can also get stuck on a roof, especially if they climbed a tree to get there. They simply walk out a limb overhanging the roof and jump down to the roof. If the tree is the cat's only means of getting down, and if the cat doesn't know how to climb down a tree, then he is stuck on the roof. Even if the cat knows how to climb down a tree, he may still be stuck on the roof if the limb he used to reach the roof rises out of his reach when his weight is no longer on it, and it is an annoyingly persistent fact of gravity that we can always jump down farther than we can jump up.

During this oppressively hot week, I got two calls on consecutive days for two different kitties on two different hot roofs, both of which were two-story apartment buildings, and I have to be honest: I don't like doing roof rescues, especially on two-story apartment buildings. The only way I can get on the roof is to climb a tree, and, sometimes, the tree the cat used is too small for me to climb. I don't use ladders to go up that high because that is too dangerous. Also, apartment managers are usually less than enthusiastic about giving me permission to climb their tree and get on their roof, and while doing the rescue, there are always several curious people in the area who have to ask what I am doing and offer their advice, especially to tell me that, in effect, I am wasting my time and effort because the cat can get down on its own. It can be difficult to remain patient while I am sweating buckets in the heat and getting thoroughly dehydrated even before I start climbing.

The first case was for Lucky, a not-so-lucky kitten who was stuck on the roof for three nights. Lucky appeared and sounded desperate for a rescue as he looked down at us on the ground, but once I got up on the roof, he hid and then ran from me once I began to approach. Unfortunately, as he looked for a place to hide, he found a small opening in a soffit where he could fit and escape into the attic. You can always count on a kitten to find the worst place to hide. This was bad news. There was no access to the attic, and it was too small for a person to enter anyway. I was feeling very doubtful that we would ever see this kitty again. The only thing I could do was to leave some food and treats on the inside and outside of the opening to lure him back onto the flat part of the roof where I had a trap set and waiting (red circle). After doing that, all we could do was wait and hope. I went back home, and about three hours later, I got a call: the kitten was in the trap. We were all super relieved, and I went back there right away to bring him down.

The next case on the next morning was a little different. This unknown kitten was discovered on the roof of the building, and the apartment complex maintenance man got up on the roof to get him. The kitten ran from him, and when he reached the edge of the roof, he jumped onto the trunk of the tree and then climbed higher and came to rest on the high, level part of the long, arching stem overhanging the roof. You can barely see his white leg hanging to the side in the red circle in the picture. I was not looking forward with joy to trying to rescue an uncooperative kitten in a very large tree overhanging the building in this heat, but fortunately, I got lucky. When I shot my line high in the tree above where the kitten was, he got scared and started coming back down toward the leaning trunk. The line I had just shot into the tree was now useless to me unless the kitten went back out there again, so I abandoned that line and shot another one high above the kitten's new position. That line also scared him, and he came down even farther. Over time, he eventually reached and settled on the spot circled in yellow on the lowest limb of the tree. This is a much more manageable problem, so I finished installing my rope and climbed up above him so that I could approach him from above and prevent him from climbing any higher. As expected, he was not comfortable when I was close to him, and he began to back away slowly. He had very little room to back away as the small limb drooped down at that point, and I was close enough that I was almost within reach. I offered him a squeeze-tube treat, and he turned his head and enjoyed giving it a few licks, but I could not get him to lick it anymore after that. He eventually inched his way down where I simply could not go, and he was in a spot where a fall was almost certain. Anya, the girl who originally called me to rescue the kitten, was down below ready to try to catch him in a tarp, but the kitten found enough of a footing for his back legs to launch himself well past her. He landed on the ground and ran off.

I assumed we would never see that kitten again, but to my surprise, Anya returned a few minutes later holding the kitten. We had no container for him, so she began walking him back to her apartment while I continued to work my way down and pack up. A few minutes later, she returned to say that the kitten jumped out of her arms and ran off again. Well, sometimes, the best you can do is just get the cat down, so I continued to pack up my gear. As I was leaving, I heard Anya call out to me. She found the kitten and got it in a carrier. She took it home and is taking care of it until she can find a home for it. I was impressed that she found and caught this kitten the first time, but to do that twice is even more impressive. She didn't give up. Later that day, she sent some pictures and video to me showing her interactions with the kitten, and I must say I am impressed with how sweet and affectionate the kitten became in such a short time. She has temporarily named him Sweetgum after the tree in which he was found, and while his future is unknown at this time, she is setting the stage to make it as bright as possible.