Cat Rescue Guy

It is such a joy to rescue a sweet cat. I love to rescue a cat who trusts me from the start and knows without question that my intentions are friendly. Of course, I always do my best to convey my friendly intentions, but many cats remain unconvinced while others, like these next two kitties I rescued, don't need to be persuaded at all. They trust me just because I am there, and it never occurs to them that I could be anything else but friendly. First was Prince, a super-sweet brown tabby boy who is seven years old. He was stuck for one night in a Pine tree in his yard in rural Zachary, Louisiana, and his adoring family was very distressed about it. Prince was stuck on a smaller stem leaning away from the larger tree, so I climbed the large tree and pulled myself over to Prince. He was ready. No introductions were needed. I spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap, and Prince stepped on it, plopped down, and curled up there in my arms with a sense of relief so strong that I coul...

When a three-week-old torby kitten hid in the undercarriage of someone's car and was unknowingly driven from Denham Springs, Louisiana to Baton Rouge, a distance of at least 20 miles, Suni felt compelled to adopt her. Suni named the kitten Bailey, and these two have both bonded with each other very strongly over the past years. Bailey is four years old now, and when she got stuck in a tree in her yard near Zachary, Louisiana, she and Suni were both very distraught. Bailey cried almost constantly from the tree, and Suni sat agonizing on the ground below through two long nights before she finally discovered my rescue service. Bailey is normally a friendly girl, but she felt very frightened being stuck in the tree. She was sensitive to the slightest noise and commotion I created as I prepared to climb the tree, and the intensity of her voice would change dramatically with each disturbance. I was getting worried that she would be too afraid of me to allow me to get close, but I gave he...

"Hey! Ya'll want a cat?" The woman had just arrived at the veterinary clinic and was stepping out of her car when she directed that question to the staff who happened to be outside at the time. Without waiting or listening for an answer, she opened the back door to her car, picked up a small cat, and set it down on the ground. The cat, of course, was terrified to be thrust into this new, strange territory and needed a safe place to go. He ran across the parking lot, climbed a Live Oak tree, and settled nervously on a limb about 20 feet high. The noise from the constantly busy four-lane highway, which was only 30 feet away from the tree, was deafening and frightening even to me. When I go there, I wear earplugs, but the cat didn't have that luxury. The cat was now safe from any immediate danger, but he sat there frightened, uncomfortable, and insecure  as the woman drove away. As insensitive and cruel as this woman's actions were, we should at least be grateful tha...

After his owner died and left him all alone, the big, black cat migrated across the highway in rural Killian, Louisiana to a house where he fortunately found a nice family. They recognized him and understood why he had come, so they welcomed him into their home and heart. When he first emerged from under their house, he was covered in cobwebs and dust, so they named him Dusty. Dusty has enjoyed a good life there for the past five years and is at least ten years old now, so when he recently got stuck in a tree in the backyard, he joined that small minority of senior kitties I have rescued in a tree. While the tree gave me some climbing challenges, Dusty was an easy cat to rescue. He is a friendly, sedate kitty, and he was anxious for me to hurry up and get him down from there. I learned beforehand that he is very comfortable with his carrier at home and likes to get in it every day for a short nap or visit, and I was glad to hear that because I planned to rescue him using my carrier. No...

When people call me to rescue their cat, one of the questions I always ask is how the cat reacts to strangers on a normal day at home. Does the cat go up to them and greet them happily, sit still and watch, or run and hide? Often I will get an unclear or qualified answer, but Evan didn't need to think about it or qualify his answer: Tootsie Roll runs from everyone. It's guaranteed. I have a cat like that. My cat not only runs from strangers, he will run from me if he sees me at  an unexpected time or place. He has never been stuck in a tree, but if he were stuck and saw me coming up to rescue him, he would probably climb higher or jump out of the tree. In moments of stress like that, he would react to me just like he would with a stranger. Of course, that is not the answer I want to hear about a cat I am about to rescue, but it is good to know what to expect from the cat so I can know how best to approach it. In this case, I know to expect Tootsie Roll to feel uncomfortable wit...