Cat Rescue Guy (2025)

01/09/2025

Whenever I go to rescue a cat a second time, I always wonder how he will react to me based on his experience with his first rescue. Did he perceive his first rescue as frightening, traumatic, pleasant, or just neutral? Even if the first rescue was very gentle and pleasant from my point of view, did he experience it differently? Does he even remember the first rescue? When I approach him this second time, will he regard me as predator or rescuer? Those are some of the concerns passing through my mind as I went, for the second time, to rescue Ron, the cool, orange tabby boy in Mandeville, Louisiana.

I went over my notes from Ron's first rescue to remind me how that rescue developed and how he reacted. I remember feeling disappointed that Ron showed no interest in stepping on my lap even though he was a frequent lap-sitter with his family. I remember reluctantly dropping the cat bag around him from above and lifting him to collect the bag beneath him. I did it as gently as possible, but it was more handling than I wanted for a sweet boy like this. I never know for sure how a cat feels about being enclosed in the bag, but most don't appear to mind it at all. It even seems to calm them. Ron seemed to handle it well, but, regardless, he may now look back on that time he was stuck in the tree as a miserable time and associate me with it as well. I never know what to expect, but I always try to make each rescue as gentle and pleasant as possible so that they don't have any reason to fear me on subsequent rescues. Plus it's just the right thing to do.

Ron had plenty of reason to be upset with me even before I started climbing up to him, because I had trouble getting my line into the tree above him and had to shoot it into the tree six times before I succeeded. Most cats would be upset at just one attempt, but Ron is a cool dude, and it didn't seem to bother him at all. He was perched out on the same limb in the same tree as before, and when he saw me climbing up to him, he came back toward the trunk to meet me. He wasn't excited to see me. He just calmly and unemotionally stepped into place as if catching a daily bus to take him to work. We exchanged greetings, and then I spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap. He stepped on my lap with just his front legs first, and after a few more pets, he placed his back legs on my lap and then plopped his whole body down for a rest. After spending so much time on a hard, thin limb, he felt good to have a large, soft lap, and he took advantage of it. I welcomed him there on my lap for a minute, pulled the bag up around him, and then kept him on my lap for the entire ride back down to the ground.

Ron did not seem to mind being in the bag, and he emerged from the bag in his house with no fanfare or excitement. It was as routine as stepping off the bus at the end of a long day at work. He came back outside to see me again before I left, but then I packed up and stepped into my own bus to go back home after a short afternoon of rescue work. But I'm not as cool as Ron. I enjoy my work, and it shows on my face. Maybe I will see you again, Ron, and I hope you remember me fondly as I do you.

25/08/2025

Summer is the slow season for cat-in-tree rescues here, and August is the slowest month of them all. Of all the rescues I have done, only 4% occurred during August, and that is why I have been so quiet here lately. There are always a few kitties who buck the trend and find a way to get stuck in a tree during August, and I am always happy to help them down out of the heat. This time, it was Coco, a sweet five-month-old tabby girl who escaped out of her house near Watson, Louisiana where she immediately encountered a dog who scared her up a tree by her front porch. She settled on one of the lowest large limbs where she was safe from danger, but she was also clueless about how to get back down. Kim tried to coax her down, but Coco was not going to attempt such a scary feat. Kim wasted no time looking for help and called me only four hours after Coco first climbed the tree, and I was there an hour later.

Coco appeared very relaxed as she rested up there on the limb only twenty feet high, and I could tell that she was going to be a friendly, cooperative girl as long as I don't do anything to scare her. I climbed up to her as gently as I could, and she remained calm and unconcerned about me. I introduced myself to her, and she sniffed my hand and let me pet her. I climbed up a little higher, spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap, and she immediately and calmly stepped on my lap and settled down there. I pulled the sides of the bag up around her and secured her inside. She sure made this easy. Once I closed her up inside the bag, she felt betrayed and voiced her displeasure about it. That surprised me since most cats don't mind it at all. Her displeasure didn't last long, because it was a quick, short ride back to the ground where she was back in Kim's arms again and safely back inside the house. I'm sorry you got stuck in a tree, Coco, but I enjoyed having such an easy rescue to do during this slow period.

16/08/2025

Maybelle kept changing her mind. This one-year-old kitty welcomed me in the tree and let me pet her, but then she decided she didn't trust me and moved a safe distance away. After I moved over some obstacles in the tree, sat down on her limb, and opened a can of food for her, she decided to come see me and let me pet her again. You would think that after being stuck in this huge Oak tree for three nights that she would be hungry enough to eat just about anything, but she turned her nose up at the scent of the food I offered her and turned herself around and walked away again. At this point, I thought my odds of getting her to come back to me again were pretty slim, so I stood up and moved out to her. She was resting on the limb with her back to me, but I let her know I was there and reached down to pet her. She was comfortable with that and even seemed to enjoy it, but then again, she decided she better start putting some more distance between us. She stood up and started walking away, and I decided to grab her and bring this wishy-washy dance to an end. She handled it without struggle or complaint, and I secured her in the cat bag for the ride back down to the ground. When I handed her to her owner, Becky, Maybelle started purring. Loudly. She knew she was now safe and going back home again, and she was certainly not wishy-washy about that.

02/08/2025

I have an update on Shadow, the sweet kitty I rescued in a tree three weeks ago. Shadow originally belonged to a woman who moved and left her with a neglectful family that did not want her. Shadow eventually got stuck in a neighbor's tree for five days, and even though that sounds bad, the end result was quite good because the loving neighbors, Susan, Robert, and their daughter, Kelsey, took Shadow under their care. They got her spayed and vaccinated and were looking to find a good home for her, but Shadow tested positive for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), and suddenly Shadow's future became more cloudy. We ordered another, more-conclusive "PCR" blood test for FeLV, and a few days later, we got the result which confirmed the diagnosis. We tried to find a special home for Shadow, but, not surprisingly, no one stepped forward. It's hard enough to find a home for a healthy kitty with a bright future, and it's even harder to find someone heroic enough to adopt a contagious kitty whose future is so uncertain.

Fortunately, my friend and extraordinary cat advocate, Christie Russell, found a sanctuary for FeLV-positive cats in Carencro, Louisiana and told me about it. I composed a message explaining Shadow's story and asking about availability and sent it to the sanctuary by email. A few hours later, I got a call from Amy Fisher, the delightful woman who founded this sanctuary, and we talked for 45 minutes. She thoroughly and accurately described her sanctuary and explained her routines with the cats she holds there, and she generously agreed to take Shadow under her care.

The next day, I went back to Walker to get Shadow. Susan held her in her arms for a final goodbye and placed her in the carrier for the drive to Carencro. Shadow was perfectly quiet and still for the entire ride. When we arrived, Amy was there to greet us and lead us into the building where Shadow would be kept along with several other FeLV-positive cats. Shadow was placed in her own large cage along with the blanket she had used during her stay with Susan. Shadow will have to stay in this cage until she and her new roommates have had time to acclimate to each other, and Shadow will let Amy know when she is ready to emerge. At that point, she will have access to the room, its loft, and a screened porch. The loft is accessible by a large tree limb that leans into it from the floor. The cats also have regular access to a large outdoor catio which encloses a small tree they can climb. All the other cats appeared to be confident and content, and Amy says they all get along just fine with each other.

Shadow's past few weeks have been very stressful for her, and this move to the sanctuary has been especially so. Honestly, she is not very happy right now, and I have been concerned about her. She will need some time to adjust to this new environment, but this should be the last time she will need to do so. I expect her to be fine in time, and I certainly hope that is the case. I know Amy will do everything she can for Shadow, and I will be checking on her for updates.

Amy runs this sanctuary at her own expense, and contributions from donors are needed to keep it running. I have already donated and will do so again in the future, but I also want to encourage you to do the same. This is the only sanctuary of its kind in this region as far as I know, and Amy provides a valuable, life-saving service for these needy cats. Please donate so she can continue her work. Here is the link to her Venmo account: https://venmo.com/u/Amy-Fisher-102 or you can mail a check to Positively Cats Sanctuary, 1020 Kidder Rd, Carencro, LA 70520 (Note, this is not the address for the sanctuary itself.)

24/07/2025

Shadow needs your help. Shadow is the sweet gray kitty I rescued a few days ago in Walker, Louisiana. She originally belonged to a woman who moved to an apartment where pets are not allowed. The woman gave Shadow to her sister whose family didn't want her. Shadow was kept in an outdoor pen for weeks until she escaped and ended up in a tree in a neighbor's yard. Susan is the neighbor who found Shadow and called me for help, and after I rescued Shadow, Susan continued to be responsible for Shadow temporarily. Susan has three other cats and has to keep Shadow contained in one room until we find a better long-term solution. Susan took Shadow to the veterinarian yesterday to get spayed and vaccinated, but we also learned that Shadow has tested positive for both FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) and FeLV (feline leukemia virus).

I am not qualified or educated enough about these viruses to predict Shadow's future, but the range of possible outcomes is wide. False-positive tests are possible, she could live without symptoms for years, or she might decline quickly. I don't know, so talk to a veterinarian to learn what to expect. What I do know is that, right now, she looks and acts like a normal, healthy, sweet, affectionate, one-year-old kitty who is desperate for some attention, and she deserves it. She needs an extraordinary home with someone special and heroic who not only appreciates her, but also understands and accepts the challenges that may lay ahead for her. Contact me to arrange a visit just to see how well you like each other. You can send a message to me here via Facebook or call or text to 225-573-7715.

The only pictures I have of her are from her rescue in the tree. Her coat appears to be black in the pictures, but it is actually solid gray like a Russian Blue.

20/07/2025

Susan and Robert already had their hands full with two litters of kittens that someone dropped off at their rural home in Walker, Louisiana, and they didn't need the added trouble of helping a different unknown cat stuck in a tree at the edge of their property. These are kind, responsible people, and they can't ignore the needy, homeless kittens or the cat stuck in a tree, so they began working to find some spay/neuter resources and homes for the kittens while also trying to help the cat in the tree find a way down. All their efforts to help the cat in the tree failed, but when they could not see her in the tree one morning, they thought she had come down on her own during the night as often happens. Unfortunately, they found her later that day higher in the tree, so this problem was still not resolved. They reached out to their veterinarian who referred them to me, and I went out there that same afternoon.

This solid gray cat had been stuck in the tree for four nights, and that is a long time to suffer in the heat of mid-July. By the time I arrived, we learned that this cat belongs to a neighboring family, and her name is Shadow. She is about one year old, but her family decided they don't want to keep her anymore. Susan offered to be responsible for Shadow once I bring her down, but it is frustrating and tiring to see this perpetually recurring theme play out again where good, responsible people take on the burden of cleaning up the mess made by irresponsible people.

Shadow's rescue went well even though she was scared of me at first. She went farther out a limb when I first approached her, but I learned enough about her to know that she is a sweet, friendly kitty and would come back to me once I made it clear that I was not a threat. I placed some food at the end of a pole and held it in front of her, and she was clearly interested. I let her have a few bites and then pulled the food closer and closer to me as she followed it all the way down to me. Once she was within reach, I held my hand out for her to sniff, and then she let me pet her while she ate. She came all the way down the limb to me and was fully relaxed but focused on the food. I was in a position unsuitable for making a lap for her, so I dropped the cat bag all around her from above and then lifted her up into the bag to secure her inside.

Shadow is safe on the ground now and in good hands, and she will be getting spayed, vaccinated, and whatever else she needs in the next few days. She is a sweet, friendly girl, and I am hoping someone will have a place for her where she will feel loved and appreciated. Contact me for more information. There are also four two-month-old kittens and four four-month-old kittens there who need homes as well. I met some of them, and they are super friendly and super cute.

18/07/2025

It was two and a half months ago when I went out to rural Folsom to rescue Kirk, the five-month-old tabby boy who was stuck in a tree next to his house. I did not report his rescue here because I hardly did anything. Kirk got spooked when I shot my line into the tree above him, and he tried to climb down but fell to the ground and ran home. I didn't even climb the tree, and I had no pictures of the activity at all, so I saw no reason to report it. Now, however, Kirk did it again -- same tree, same spot -- and, this time, Kirk gave me the honor of rescuing him in a safer and gentler manner.

Kirk had suffered through some very hot, mid-July days, and he was constantly crying for help with an intense, desperate pleading kind of cry that touches something deep and primal in me. I simply MUST help this sweet, suffering little boy. So I did. I climbed 30 feet up to him near the top of this leaning, but sturdy, River Birch tree, and he welcomed me readily. After our proper introductions, he was ready to step on my lap, so I spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap first and then encouraged him to step onto it. Once he was fully in place, I pulled the sides of the bag up around him and secured him inside.

I took him down and released him inside the house where Sophie already had some food and water waiting for him. Kirk is doing just fine now, and Sophie and her family can finally relax after spending a very stressful time trying to find a way to get him down on their own.

02/07/2025

Another cat stuck in a tree, and another successful rescue. While it may seem routine for you, the reader, this is far from a routine event for the cat and its owner. For most cats, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and it is enormously stressful for both the cat and his owner. To them, it feels like a matter of life or death, and in many cases, it is. In this particular case, it was Binx, a three-year-old cat with a beautiful, thick black coat, who was stuck about 35 feet high in a small oak tree on the other side of his backyard fence in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Binx is an inside cat, but he has recently discovered the thrill of darting outside when someone opens the door, and that is how he escaped this time and found himself stuck in the tree. This is the first, and hopefully last, time Binx has ever been in a tree, and he was very unhappy about it. So was his family. To Brittany and her two boys, Binx is an essential and beloved member of the family, and they could not bear to see him stuck and suffering so high where they could not help him. By the time I arrived to rescue him, Binx had spent two nights in that tree, and while that may be common and routine among all the cats I have rescued, this was definitely not routine for Binx and his family.

While the tree made my climbing and positioning a bit awkward and uncomfortable, Binx was very easy and cooperative. Even though he was clearly tired, uncomfortable, and panting in the summer heat, he appeared very relaxed and undisturbed by my presence and shaking of the tree as I moved into position close to him. I made a lap for him, spread the bottom of the cat bag over it, and then invited him to step on my lap. As you can see in the video (link in first comment), he calmly stepped on my lap and curled into position there as I pulled the bag up around him and secured him inside.

I took him back down and handed him to his family, and they walked him back home to release him. He drank some water, ate some food, and went under the bed to take a long nap before socializing with the family and curling up in a cardboard box. This may have been a routine rescue to the rest of us, but to Binx and his family, this was the end of anxious suffering and the restoration of the family, and there is nothing routine about that.

Link to rescue video in first comment.

25/06/2025

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, got the property owner's permission, and contacted me for help.

The tree was dense with foliage, and I created quite a disturbance as I pushed limbs out of my way to reach the cat, but she was not bothered by that as most would be. She patiently waited for me to come closer to her, then she stood up, walked down the limb a short distance, and returned to her original spot where I was now waiting. She introduced herself to me and took great pleasure feeling my hand petting her head and back. I spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap and placed my lap level with the limb. She readily stepped on my lap and forcefully pushed her head into my hand to soak as much comfort and love as she could absorb from my touch. Once she was settled on my lap, I pulled the sides of the bag up around her, secured her inside, and reassured her through the bag that she was safe.

I took her back down to the ground, but because we had not yet found the owner, I wasn't sure what to do with her. I scanned her for a microchip and found one, so I transferred her to a carrier and gave her a can of food to eat while I worked to gather more information about her. She was quite content to be in the carrier and very happy to have some food to eat. During a call to the microchip company, I learned that her chip was not registered but the chip was implanted by the Lafayette Animal Shelter. I called the animal shelter to see if they had any owner information and was told that this cat was one of several who were trapped, neutered, and returned to that neighborhood one month prior. Since she was already in her own territory, it was safe to release her, and she would likely return to her caretaker.

I opened the carrier, and she stepped out and strolled around with comfort and confidence. She certainly didn't act like a cat in a strange territory. She visited with me and with Maddie and enjoyed the freedom and joy of being on the ground again. This happy kitty saw good everywhere she looked. She even followed Maddie home and ran into her house where she was not happily received by Maddie's own two cats. I'm sure she will be fine and will return to her sweet caretaker who taught her to be so trusting, and I'm sure she will find something good wherever she goes. Because of her cheerful, optimistic nature, I will call her Pollyanna in reference to the classic children's story and subsequent sequels by that name.

24/06/2025

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 friendly, but this was not a normal time, and she was cautious with me. She moved to the other side of one of the large branches where it was safer, and she hid there while occasionally poking her head around the branch to check on me. She could have gone much farther away from me in this large tree if she needed, but she stayed there and waited to gather more information about me. After all, I could be friendly and maybe even take her down.

I wasn't having much luck with sweet-talk and charming her, but when I opened a can of food, she decided she liked me just fine. She came to me, took a few bites, and let me pet her. I spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap and then used the food to lure her onto my lap. Space was pretty tight, but we made it work, and I pulled the bag up around her, secured her inside, and took her down. Amanda and Jared were greatly relieved to have Mini safe inside again, and they sent a picture of her to me afterward to show that Mini is pretty happy about it too.

23/06/2025

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 didn't mind at all when I gently held him in place while I dropped the bag around him and forced him into the bag. After all, that was clearly being done without his consent. It wasn't until he was back on the ground with his family that he relaxed his cool-dude image and showed his joy and relief at being safe at home again by purring and rubbing his body against everyone's legs. Of course, it does no harm to show your soft side to your own family, but out in the public, Ron is always one cool dude.

10/06/2025

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.

Cat Rescue Guy

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