Cat Rescue Guy

She was fearless, not in the sense of confidently confronting a threat, but in the sense of innocently never perceiving a threat. She was delighted to see me approaching her in the tree, and there was never any thought in her mind that my intentions could be anything less than friendly. She felt no need to be even slightly cautious with me, because she saw nothing but the good in everyone and everything. In her optimistic view, I was there to help her, and I felt delighted and awe-struck by the beauty of such pure innocence and trust. She was a pretty, juvenile calico -- I am guessing her age to be about nine months -- who had been stuck for at least three nights in a large, broad oak tree in Lafayette, Louisiana. It was Maddie who heard her and discovered her in the tree overhanging her backyard, but she did not recognize the cat. Maddie is a conscientious cat-lover and could not ignore the cat's cries for help, so she investigated the situation, tried to find the cat's owner,...

It's not common for me to rescue a senior cat in a tree. It is the one-year-olds by far who make up most of my rescues, and ninety percent of all my rescues are for cats who are four years old and younger. I don't know if that is because the older cats are less likely to get stuck in a tree or less likely to climb it in the first place. It could also be simply because there are fewer older cats than younger ones. Whatever the reason, Mini is one of the exceptions. This twelve-year-old, orange tabby girl in Picayune, Mississippi climbed a large oak tree in her yard and was stuck there in the main union for two nights. She has lived her whole life there with Amanda and Jared, and they were very worried about her. Mini had a comfortable and safe nest there in that large union. She was well hidden and had plenty of room to rest there with no worry about falling. She was cute with the way she poked her head around the branch to watch me as I climbed up to her. She would normally be ...

Ron is a cool dude. He is much too cool to be like one of those younger, weak-minded cats who get stuck in a tree and then whine about it. No, Ron is a cool orange tabby who just happens to be hanging out high in a Pine tree next to his house for two nights while relaxing in the shade, enjoying the views, and monitoring all the activity in the neighborhood. So when I showed up in the tree with him, he made it appear that he was slightly annoyed with my intrusion while politely acknowledging me with the minimal amount of enthusiasm that would be proper to show any uninvited guest. He had no use for me there and certainly did not need my help, but he politely allowed me to pet him while we exchanged formal pleasantries. Since he is known to be a lap-sitter at home, I spread the cat bag over my lap and gave him an invitation to step there, but that was unthinkable to him since that would make it appear that he was weak, needy, and eager to be rescued. He ignored my lap completely, but he ...

Two super-sweet, photogenic kitties rescued from a tree on consecutive days. First was Garlic, an eight-month-old orange and white boy who was stuck in a tree next to his house in Ponchatoula, Louisiana for two nights. He was eager for me to climb up to him and happy to see me. He stepped on my lap where I had already prepared the cat bag, and I pulled the bag up around him and took him home. His family, including a few canine siblings, was very happy to have him safe at home again. Next was three-and-a-half-year-old Princess who was stuck in a Tallow tree in her yard in Watson, Louisiana. She had been stuck there only 16 hours, but that was still far too long for her. She was very relieved to step into the comfort of the carrier I held in front of her, and she was even more relieved to be back in the comfort and safety of home.

It breaks my heart to see a cat, especially a kitten, cowering in fear when I approach it in the tree. I feel so sorry for the little creature to be in the position of being unable to escape and forced to face, in his mind, the terror of a deadly attack by a predator. That is what I saw when I approached this small kitten hiding and trembling in the main union of a very large Oak tree. The tiny gray tabby had settled in an excellent hiding place there where two very large branches of the oak tree diverged and formed a comfortable, safe bowl between them about 25 feet high. She was safe there and well-hidden from view with plenty room to stretch out and sleep without any fear of falling. But then I poked my ugly head into the opening where I could see her, and she cowered, backed up a few inches, and held her head down so she could not see me, and then her body began to shake. I did my best to reassure her, but she was slow to be convinced. Her trembling didn't stop until she discov...