Cat Rescue Guy (2025)

03/01/2025

I love rescuing sweet kitties like Coco. This nine-month-old, all-black kitty in Duson, Louisiana just innocently assumed that I was a good guy, and he fully trusted me from the start. He readily stepped on my lap, but he wanted more than that. He continued up my chest and wanted me to hold him there. After spending two cold nights in the tree, he was happy to have some warm company. That's the kind of reception I love to get, and I wish every cat would respond that way. While I can't say I enjoyed climbing this dense Cypress tree with all the tight squeezes between limbs, I certainly enjoyed rescuing Coco and would happily do so in whatever kind of tree he might climb.

Thanks, Coco. That was fun.

31/12/2024

Cats have been busy lately, and this rather lazy year has ended with a burst of activity including these three rescues in three days. First is Tangera, a sweet, but shy, six-month-old tortie who slipped outside and climbed a Sweetgum tree in her front yard in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was not comfortable with me in the tree with her despite my reassurances, and she slowly and quietly made moves to climb up higher in the tree to get away from me. I wasn't ready to secure her, but I had to prevent her escape. I picked her up and placed her on my lap with some gentle pets. Her slow movement away from me gave me enough time to get my cat bag ready, so I bagged her before she could escape. She didn't complain or resist one bit and is now safe at home with her grateful family.

In a different Baton Rouge neighborhood, several people noticed an orange tabby that was stuck in a tree in one of the neighbor's backyard. Someone called Animal Control, and the Animal Control officer investigated and then called me. He was told that the cat had been stuck there for five days, but I don't know who told him and have no way to verify it. The timing was terrible since severe weather was forecast, but it appeared that I would have enough time to get this kitty down before it arrived.

I was encouraged by the way the cat spoke to me when I first arrived, but I would soon be disappointed in the tree to see him walk farther out his very long limb to get away from me. I could not persuade him to come any closer to me, so the only option I had was to set a trap for him in the tree. By the time I finished setting the trap, rain began to fall, but the severe weather was still far away, and I didn't expect this shower to last long. I went back to my car, out of the cat's sight, where I could wait and watch for him to go into the trap. Usually, cats go in the trap within thirty minutes, but this boy wasn't moving. Fortunately, I met some concerned and friendly neighbors who had a good view of the trap, so they watched it for me and offered to call me as soon as they notice any change. I went home and waited for their call.

The short shower was indeed short, but it was followed by an endless line of other short showers. I wasn't expecting this much rain so soon, and I was concerned about it washing away the food trail I made leading into the trap as well as filling the food container in the back of the trap thereby removing any incentive for the cat to go inside. As more and more time passed without a call, it was now clear that this cat was going to be stuck in the tree overnight and during the severe weather. Indeed, that is what happened. I was worried that the weather itself would trigger the trap door closed, and I would have to go through this all over again the next day. I wasn't feeling optimistic about this case, but then I got a late-night message from one of the neighbors: he is in the trap. I was very happy and relieved to hear that, but I was also sorry that the cat had to suffer through the storm.

The weather was calm the next morning, and I went out there to bring him down. He wasn't happy, but I sure was happy to see him stuck in the trap (picture below). All the neighbors reported seeing him in the neighborhood frequently for a long time, but no one knew if he had an owner. I found no Lost Cat posts or signs, and he did not have a microchip, so I decided it would be best to just turn him loose. One of the neighbors asked me if they could have the cat, so if the cat is homeless, I'm sure they will take him in.

The same afternoon, I got a call about a sweet, six-month-old, orange tabby girl named Tiger who was stuck in a Pine tree in her front yard in Watson. She had been in the tree only twelve hours at most, so she was not there during the storm. Friendly kitties like Tiger in an easy tree make for an easy rescue. However, I made one mistake. I forgot to bring my cat bag with me, and I intentionally left the carrier on the ground because I didn't expect to need it. When Tiger came to me, and I reached for my cat bag that wasn't there, I had only one option. I brought her down on my lap. It wasn't ideal, but we made it work, and this cutie is safe and happy back home again.

28/12/2024

This is the fifth time I have rescued Simon, and because I know what many of you are thinking, I want first to offer an explanation to ease your mind. Yes, Simon is an inside cat. Yes, his family knows he likes to escape and does what they can to prevent that, but Simon can be very sneaky and determined. Also, Simon is unusual in that he has a magnetic attraction to trees, so when he escapes, he runs straight to them. To prevent him from climbing, his family has nail caps put on his claws, and, in fact, this time when he escaped, it was just two hours before his appointment to get new nail caps. One more thing: Simon is a cool, super-sweet, cooperative kitty, and I love to rescue him. All that said, it's true that his rescue count is getting up there. Indeed, he is now tied for second place among all the cats I have rescued. He still needs three more rescues to catch up with the leader, but given his circumstances and youth -- he is nineteen months old -- I think it's possible that he might actually be able to pull it off.

Simon's timing was not good, not only in terms of his vet appointment, but also because of the Christmas holidays. Cats don't care about holidays, and this is the third time as best I can remember that I have done a rescue on Christmas day, and, ironically, one of those was for the cat I have rescued eight times. Simon's family asked only if I could rescue him the day after Christmas, but I volunteered to bring that sweet boy down early so he would not have to spend three nights in the tree. I don't mind. Traffic is certainly better on Christmas day.

While I had some trouble and frustration getting my rope installed in the tree, Simon, as usual, was very cooperative and easy to rescue. He was at the top of a double-stem Sweetgum tree, and when I climbed up to him, it was as if he had been expecting me. We got reacquainted, and then I picked him up and placed him on my lap where I had already spread the bottom of the cat bag. He settled in calmly and was very patient with me as I struggled to get the sides of the bag out from under him so I could pull it up around him. He didn't mind. He trusted me fully and knew he would soon be home where the food is. He and his family are all happy and safe at home, but I know he is eyeing that door and waiting for another opportunity to burst out into the fascinating outdoor world again.

26/12/2024

After rescuing Lily in Kaplan, Louisiana, I was driving home on the interstate when I got a call from Christie asking if I could rescue a cat in a tree in Geismar. The cat was unknown and high in a tree on a large common area marking the entrance to a subdivision. I drove straight there, and Christie was waiting there for me when I arrived. She pointed to the tall Cypress tree in the distance, and I dropped my jaw when I saw a tiny speck of white pacing back and forth on the top limb about 80 feet high. The tree is larger than it appears in the picture. The cat was crying loudly and desperately for help, and the crying intensified as the cat noticed us walking toward her. She became so excited to see us focusing our attention on her that she began to try to climb down. She could not hold on to the tree very well and had to pull herself back up on the same limb, but she continued to be excited.

My plan was to install my rope on a sturdy limb about 20 feet below the cat and then work my way up to her. As I was focused on preparing my large slingshot and line to shoot over that limb in the tree, I heard Christie gasp. I looked up to see the blur of a small white ball falling through the tree and bouncing off one limb after another like a ball in a pinball machine before plopping down hard on the ground about ten feet from me. She had tried once again to come down head-first on her own but lost her footing and fell all the way to the ground. Standing there on the ground looking stunned was a kitten I guessed to be about seven weeks old. She was so much smaller on the ground than she appeared to be up high in the tree.

I have seen cats jump or fall from great heights many times, and each time the cat took off running as soon as he hit the ground. That is not a guarantee that the cat is uninjured, but it's a good sign. They can certainly be injured by a fall, but I have yet to see it happen, and I am amazed at how often it happens and how well the cats appear to survive it without harm. This kitten, however, did not run. She stood there still and dazed, but otherwise appeared to be fine. I was facing her but did not move toward her because I didn't want to scare her away. I spoke to her a minute to reassure her and then began to move slowly and indirectly toward her. When I was only a few feet away, she ran toward the base of the tree and tried to hide between two buttresses. I walked over there to her and could see that she had p**p hanging from her back end. She stood motionless there, clearly afraid, so I spent some calm time with her giving her some gentle pets until she began to relax. I picked up her tiny body, held her in my arms, and felt a strong emotional connection forming inside me while giving her more gentle pets until she was fully relaxed and felt safe.

Now that she felt safe with us, I put her down on the ground, and Christie tried to give her some food. She showed no interest in eating, probably due, I thought, to the stress of the moment and the physical trauma of the fall. She looked like she needed more time to recover, but I also wondered if she might have some physical injuries that we can't see. Christie had already agreed to take responsibility for the cat, and she had already arranged to take her to the local shelter, CARA's House, where they said they would have a veterinarian examine her. I confidently left her in Christie's care, packed my gear, and left feeling thankful for people like Christie who notice a cat in need, feel compassion for it, and go to the trouble to help it.

Christie took the kitten to CARA's House and learned that someone had called there earlier looking for a missing kitten that perfectly fit the description of this kitten. The owners came a short while later, claimed the kitten who they had named Marshmallow, and took her straight to their veterinarian. I was so happy to hear that, not only was Marshmallow seeing a veterinarian, but also that she was being reunited with her family. I felt good about this outcome, but without a connection with the owners, I would not be able to get any updates to this kitten's story, and I knew next to nothing about where she lived, how she escaped, or exactly how long she was in the tree.

During my waking moments of the next morning, I was thinking about this kitten and feeling a bit of worry about her condition. I thought about how she just stood there looking stunned when she landed on the ground, how she lost control of her bowel, her lack of interest in food, and her limited energy level once she felt safe on the ground. I felt troubled, and I felt regret that I did not take her to the veterinarian right away. In spite of my concerns, I assumed she was recovering well, and I was not prepared when I got a message from Christie a few hours later: Marshmallow died.

I felt as stunned as Marshmallow was when she landed so hard on the ground. I had no explanation and knew no details, but that didn't matter at this moment. The pain of that loss began to boil up inside me with more intensity than I could explain for a kitten I knew only 15 minutes. Why does this hurt so badly? Why am I crying so hard? She was just a small, furry ball of pure innocence. This is just wrong. She was only seven weeks old and spent two or three days of that being stuck in a tree. Such a sweet, young creature does not deserve a tragedy like this. Yet, tragedy happens. It always has and always will. Bad things can happen to good, innocent creatures, and that's a reality I often have trouble accepting. So, here I am facing this painful fact once again, this time, for an adorable kitten whose only fault was being born with the wrong natural instincts: one for climbing down the wrong way, and another for being impatient. If she had waited for me, I could have rescued her safely.

Christie and I both failed to get any close pictures of Marshmallow while we had her on the ground, but Christie did get one picture from the owner who was holding Marshmallow in her lap at the veterinarian's office just moments before she died. I don't know the details, but I assume she was euthanized because of severe internal injuries. I try not to look at this picture because it hurts too much, but it's the only picture I have of her other than the white dot in the tree.

One of the things I like most about what I do and the rescue stories I write is that it is almost always a feel-good story. You read the story, and you feel good about it. A cat gets stuck in a tree, the cat and owner are suffering, the cat gets rescued, everybody is safe and lives happily ever after. This is not one of those stories, and I debated about sharing it, especially during this Christmas season. On one hand, I did absolutely nothing to rescue her, I don't count it as a rescue and, therefore, have nothing to report. No one wants to read such a sad story anyway. On the other hand, it was a cat stuck in a tree, I was there, and this is an example of the potential for tragedy that is lurking under every case. I know this is not a fun story to read, but this is the rare, dark reality behind all the other stories that makes them feel so good, and I feel an obligation to be honest. I don't like it, but it's the truth.

Now when I say good-night to my own cat, I am thankful that no tragedy fell upon him today, and I remember poor Marshmallow who reminds me that life is not fair and tomorrow can't be taken for granted.

25/12/2024

I was contacted by three different extended family members -- all roughly at the same time and each without the knowledge of the others -- about a cat stuck in a tree in Kaplan, Louisiana. After I determined that these were all referring to the same cat instead of three different cats, I learned that the entire extended family was heavily involved in finding help for this one beloved, nine-month-old calico. The cat's name is Lily, and she lives with Doies, Ashley, and their two children, all of whom were very upset at her predicament and their inability to help her. It was already well after dark when they contacted me, so I made arrangements to go there the following morning.

Lily's rescue was very easy. I installed a rope very close to her and climbed up to find her very relaxed and receptive. It was as if we do this every day. Because of our positions relative to each other, I decided it would be best to secure her in a carrier for descent. I held the open carrier up to her, and she calmly walked inside. It was when I pulled the carrier back toward me that I made a big blunder. I failed to notice that the open door was caught on a limb, and as I pulled the carrier back to me, the limb pulled the door completely off the carrier, and it fell to the ground. There was no need to panic, but there I was with a cat in a carrier with no door to contain her for our ride back down to the ground. I have never had this happen before, and I wasn't quite sure what to do. At first, I considered putting her on my lap and bagging her, but it eventually occurred to me that I could simply hold the carrier with the opening against my body to keep her contained. That is what we did, and as can be seen in the video (link in first comment), Lily handled it all just fine.

Once we were safely back on the ground, Ashley came over, pulled Lily out of the carrier, and carried her inside. Lily remained cool and fully relaxed the entire time. Ashley and Doies are relieved, their children are not crying for their kitty anymore, and the rest of the extended family is also happy to have Lily safe at home again. It was impressive and heartwarming to see the whole extended family and neighbors all involved, invested, and caring about this helpless kitty, and it was fun and satisfying for me to be able to bring this drama to a safe and peaceful resolution.

Video link in first comment.

22/12/2024

Mark was holding his eighteen-month-old, indoor cat, Takazo, while taking a casual stroll around the yard as they have often done, but this time, something spooked Takazo, and he jumped out of Mark's arms, ran across the yard, and climbed a skinny Pine tree. He settled out near the end of a small limb about 50 feet high and spent two nights there refusing to budge. When I arrived at the site in Ponchatoula, Louisiana and saw where Takazo was, I felt very sorry for him in that precarious, exposed, and lonely spot, and I knew this was not going to be a simple, routine rescue. The video (link in first comment) is more effective than these pictures at conveying his delicate and hazardous predicament.

The tree which Takazo chose to climb was a bit flimsy, so I was not comfortable trying to climb it up to his height. Instead, I chose to climb the larger Pine tree to the left in the first picture until I was above Takazo's height. There I installed a rope above him in his tree, and then I used the ropes in both trees to move over there to him. He was a little concerned about me at first, but he quickly learned to trust me, and he enjoyed my petting and company. At this point, he was closer to the trunk of the tree than when I arrived, and it appeared that I could simply position my lap by him and get him to step on my lap. Unfortunately, he began to lose his footing on the tiny twigs, so he walked back out toward the end of the limb where he actually felt more stable. I had a difficult time luring him back toward me after that. He wasn't afraid of me, but he was afraid of losing his footing there again.

When I stretched my body out almost horizontal, I could reach him but not well enough to pick him up or bag him safely. The perfect solution was to hold a carrier in front of him and let him walk inside, but he refused to do that, even with food in the carrier for extra motivation. While I was stretched out as far as I could reach, I eventually encouraged him to come a couple steps closer to me, and at that point, I tried to drop the cat bag all around him. I wanted the bag all around him before grabbing him by the scruff in order to minimize the time I must hold him that way, but he began to get nervous and started backing up. I grabbed him by the scruff, lifted him off the limb while using my other hand to pry his clenching claws off the limb, and pulled the bag over him. I set him down on my lap and reassured him as best I could while I finished securing the bag, and I apologized to him for having to handle him so roughly. He handled it all like a perfect gentleman, and he remained calm and quiet for the long ride back down to the ground. It does my heart good to see that last picture of him cozy and comfortable on a soft bed again after the misery he endured in the tree for two long days.

Link to rescue video is in the first comment.

21/12/2024

Scooter's rescue was easy, but that doesn't make it less meaningful. Scooter had been stuck in his next-door neighbor's tree in Denham Springs, Louisiana for only one night, but the anguish he caused for Jeannie was immense. Jeannie loves her sweet, nine-month-old Snowshoe boy, and she was suffering more than Scooter who seemed to handle his confinement in the tree just fine. Scooter was very relaxed when I climbed up to him, and we became friends right away. Once I got into position to place my lap next to him and spread the bottom of the cat bag over my lap, he calmly stepped on my lap and sat still and quiet while I needed more time than usual to pull the bag up around him. I took him down and returned him to Jeannie who took him home and released him inside.

Jeannie was so grateful that she wanted to pay me, but, as I always do, I refused her offer. I tried to explain that I don't want this to be about money. It's about suffering, hers and the cat's, and I feel good about relieving that suffering and don't want money to contaminate that feeling. However, I was also weighing how important it was to her to give that money to me and if I was being borderline rude to refuse her gift. I have been in this position a few times before, and I was beginning to think that the nicest thing I could do for her was to accept her gift graciously. That is when she relented to my arguments and asked if she could just give me a big hug instead. Well, sure! I love hugs, and that is a lot more valuable to me than money. So we enjoyed a big hug, and that is the most meaningful thanks I could want.

I don't mean to be rude and cause people to feel frustrated or rejected when I refuse their money. I understand how our society is so money-focused, and I also understand how natural it is to want to reciprocate in some way. It's in my nature too, but I think there are times when we need simply to accept a gift graciously. After all, if you pay for a gift, it's not a gift anymore. I certainly don't pay my wife when she hugs me. I accept her love as the gift it is, and I give her my love as well. Rescuing cats in trees is my gift of love to all the cats and their owners in my community, and I love doing it. I love the feeling I get from relieving the suffering of both cats and their owners. I love having a hobby that keeps me fit and useful while benefiting others in a meaningful way. I spent all of my career working for money, and now, in my retirement, I want to work for meaning instead. It's very kind and generous of everyone to offer to pay me for a rescue, but I would rather see their smile of relief, hear their expression of gratitude, and get a picture of their cat sleeping comfortably and peacefully after the rescue. And I absolutely love a big hug.

11/12/2024

Tiffany and Todd's eighteen-month-old cat, Bruno, is not a bold and daring cat, so they were shocked to see this indoor-only boy run outside and climb a tree next to their house in Paulina, Louisiana. They loved this sweet, gentle boy who sleeps with them every night, and they did everything they knew to get him out of that tree, but all their efforts failed, and the local fire department failed as well.

The situation surrounding Bruno's rescue held a bit more drama than usual, but most of the drama is not visible in the rescue video. The video (link in first comment) shows only the final action that brought this drama to an end. What you don't see are the five days of intense anguish, tears, and stress that Tiffany and Todd experienced while their beloved baby paced and cried at the top of the tree. They thought that no one could possibly rescue him, and they would have to watch him slowly die there. You also don't see the misery that Bruno experienced as he felt helplessly and precariously trapped and exposed in the tree during cold nights and heavy thunderstorms. You may not notice the other large nearby tree that had been previously uprooted and toppled into Bruno's tree where it was snagged but could come crashing down to the ground at any moment without warning. The video won't show how we had to wait for a very long time for the storms to pass before we could even begin the rescue, nor does it show the troublesome hour I spent getting my rope installed in this tangled mess of trees. It also may not be clear that Bruno is perched near the end of the topmost limb of the tree, and the top of the tree had broken off leaving me with little support and no way to reach him safely. You won't see the lengthy time I spent up there at the top of the tree with him working to calm and reassure him so that he would come to me or at least be receptive to the food I would eventually use to lure him to me.

What the video will show you is a tired and miserable cat whose matted hair reveals the result of the heavy rain and his efforts to lick it off his coat. It will show him only after he had calmed down enough to have some interest in the food I used to lure him to me. I placed the food at the end of an extendable pole so I could place it in front of him where he could smell it. Once he had a bite, I moved the food a few steps closer to me so that he would follow it. We repeated this pattern a few times until he was close enough to me to know that I was not a threat to him. After a sniff of my hand and another bite of the food, he watched me put the food in the back of the carrier. He took a minute to examine the carrier to make sure it was safe, and then he stepped inside. I pushed his tail all the way inside, closed the door, and yelled to Todd below that Bruno was in the carrier. If you listen carefully, you can hear Todd's expression of relief and amazement that what he thought was impossible had actually happened, but you won't see or hear the relief, joy, and peace the whole family enjoyed afterward with Bruno safely back home. All the video shows is the short, pivotal climax of this one drama, and you are left to imagine the longer, more meaningful remainder of the story.

Link to video in first comment.

08/12/2024

When Jonathan's daughter closed the door to their home in rural Ponchatoula, Louisiana, she didn't notice that the latch didn't quite catch. The family left without knowing that the door would soon open itself slightly and attract the attention of their indoor-only cat, Cessna. This new portal to a huge, interesting, outside world must have been irresistible to nine-month-old Cessna, and when the family returned home, they found the door ajar and Cessna missing. They searched all over but could not find her. The daughter was especially bonded with Cessna, and she felt sick with guilt over her mistake and the result it caused. After five days of fruitless searching, they were beginning to feel hopeless when Jonathan finally heard Cessna crying from a tree beyond a neighbor's house almost 500 feet away from home. Cessna was stuck high in a huge Sweetgum tree, and had likely spent the past five days there suffering through some cold nights. It was late in the afternoon when Jonathan found me and called, so we made arrangements to rescue her the next morning.

I could tell by the way Cessna was crying to us below and walking from one side of the huge tree to the other that she was ready for a rescue and would be cooperative. That's a good thing, too, because in this huge tree with extremely long branches, rescuing an uncooperative kitty would be very difficult. As expected, she came toward me when I climbed up to her, but she stopped a few feet short of coming all the way to me, not because she didn't trust me, but because the limb at that point curved downward too much and was too slippery. That wasn't a problem for me. All I had to do was hold the open carrier in front of her so she could easily step inside. She stepped inside the carrier, but when I began to pull it slowly closer to me so I could reach the door, she got nervous and backed out. I opened a can of food to place in the back of the carrier thinking that would keep her occupied long enough for me to pull the carrier closer to me so I could close the door, but that turned out to be unnecessary. Once she noticed the food, she suddenly had the courage to come down that steep, slippery limb all the way to me. Now that she was so close, I wouldn't need to move the carrier to reach the door when she stepped inside, so I placed the food in the back of the carrier, held the carrier on my lap, and watched happily as she stepped back inside again. I closed the door with no trouble and brought her down.

It is very rewarding for me to know that Cessna can join Jonathan's daughter in bed every night again and that their bond has been restored. There is also a bond between Cessna and her canine brother, Teddy, who has been looking for her ever since she disappeared. He, too, is happy to have her back for their afternoon naps.

05/12/2024

I have enjoyed so many sweet, cooperative kitties to rescue lately that I have forgotten how to handle an uncooperative one. Harley was the last in my long, cooperative-kitty streak, and she was followed the next day by uncooperative Molly. Both kitties are gray/brown tabbies, both are female, and both were stuck in a tree for three cold nights. Harley is a three-year-old in rural Holden, Louisiana, and Molly is a four-year-old in Mandeville, Louisiana.

Harley got stuck in a Cow Oak next to the front porch when a neighbor's loose dog chased her. She was about 20 feet high, miserable, and desperately wanted down, so when I climbed up to her, she didn't need to be wooed or convinced. She stepped on my lap, and I decided to take her down that way. She huddled close to me on my lap and stayed still until she was just a couple feet off the ground. She jumped down to the ground, ran onto the porch to see her family, and then went straight to her food bowl. I love rescues like this.

Molly is normally just as sweet as Harley, but she got scared when I installed my rope in the tree, and she walked far out a very long limb and settled there. Nothing I did or didn't do managed to convince her to come any closer to me. She was stubbornly resolved to stay right there, and she let me know it by her terse, one-word replies to everything I said to her. I was very limited in how far I could go toward her, and when I did, she responded by going out even farther. I spent a long time with her trying to earn her trust, but I finally gave up and resigned myself to setting a trap for her in the tree. At that moment, for reasons I don't understand, she suddenly decided I was trustworthy and came along that long limb to me where she sniffed my hand and let me pet her. I would love to know what changed in her mind, but I remain clueless. Whatever it was, I was delighted and relieved, but I was not prepared to take advantage of this to secure her in any manner. I was tied to the tree with three ropes at that time and unable to respond quickly, so I could only watch as Molly calmly stepped over my feet to go back to the trunk of the tree and step over to another limb on the opposite side. After I untangled myself, I moved over there with her and tried to reassure her with some loving pets and back-scratches, but I could see that she was also getting more nervous. When she appeared to be moving nervously away from me, I decided to grab her by the scruff and bag her, because I didn't want to miss this opportunity and let her escape. She is safe and happy at home now, and I am pondering what to do the next time I run into another kitty like Molly.

Cat Rescue Guy

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