Mikey

Mikey is a cool dude. This orange tabby boy began appearing at Carlee's door in rural Opelousas, Louisiana for visits that gradually became longer and longer until one day it became clear that he had claimed this as his permanent home. That was fine with Carlee because she liked this friendly boy, and she was getting very attached to him. If he came from another home, he apparently felt no loyalty there, and no one reported him as missing, so Carlee claimed him as her own, and Mikey settled in as if he owned the place. Yes, this is a good place to be, and Mikey likes it.

As is usually the case, we don't know why Mikey climbed the neighbor's Live Oak tree, but there he was resting at a fork in the branch about 25 feet high when Carlee found him. Mikey may have played it cool and acted as if this was not a problem, but Carlee certainly didn't. She worked hard to help Mikey down, and when all her efforts failed, she began asking for help. Mikey had spent one night in that tree before I arrived there to help him down, and he was still playing it cool.

When I climbed up to Mikey's branch, he moved far out toward the end of the branch. He would probably say that was only to give me room to work, but I suspect I actually scared him. I sat down on the same spot where he was originally perched, and I called him to come back toward me. He thought about it, but didn't get interested until I shook a bag of treats. That was a sound he recognized and liked, so he began to slowly come toward me. He came all the way to me, let me pet him, and then he settled down on the branch beside me. Strangely, I could not get him interested in any treats, and he is the only cat I have rescued who had no interest in the squeeze-tube treat. I guess he felt too cool for that. I was beginning to wonder how I was going to lure him onto my lap, but after a few minutes of visiting, he settled the matter by stepping on my lap without any bribe at all. I had already spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap, so I petted him there for a short while and then pulled the bag up around him.

I took him back down to the ground, and we released him there since he was already in familiar  and safe territory. He soon made his way back home acting as if everything had gone according to his plan. Once back inside, he enjoyed having a soft, comfortable place to rest on the sofa next to Carlee and getting some loving from her. Mikey is a cool dude and doesn't like to admit it, but he enjoys living here with her. Yes, this is a good place to be, and Mikey likes it.