"Smoky', 'Jinxie' - Klimbing Kitties Kaptured by March Madness

(mid March 2016)

Executive Summary

"Smoky" ( 3 days, 40 ft, pine, Laurel MS), and "Jinxie" (1.5 days, 35 ft, pine, Tupelo MS) are some kitties rescued in mid-March.

Details (Smoky)

It was mid-afternoon when the Kat Fone yowled. It was Angel, her 6 month old kitty "Smoky" had been stuck in a pine tree in Laurel MS for three days and she had heard that I could help. I checked my schedule, and told her that I could be there at 9:30 am the next day.

Angel's house was in the country, and when I arrived, she led me to a dirt road that had recently been bulldozed on the side of their property. There was a pine forest on the other side of this road, and Angel pointed to one of the trees on the road border - I soon spotted Smoky about 40 ft up pacing back and forth. The bulldozer had piled a tremendous amount of brush all around the edge of the road, and it obscured the base of the tree. I tunneled through the brush, and found that the back side of the tree was clear. I hauled my gear through the brush tunnel, and after a couple of tries, made a good throwbag shot over a limb well above Smoky. I installed a climbing line and started up. During my ascent, Smoky retreated about feet out from the trunk on a small limb. I climbed above Smoky to ensure that he would not be able to climb any higher, and then started sweet talking to him, trying to coax him back to the trunk. It did not take much sweet talking to convince him that I was ok, and he began heading back to the trunk. I quickly put my Kat bag on my right hand, and give him a few strokes once he reached me. Smoky was very sweet and cooperative, and it was an easy to task to scruff him and put him in the Kat bag. I headed down and handed him off to Angel for food and water. I was unable to take a post rescue picture, but Angel said that Smoky was happy be back on the ground!

Details (Jinxie)

It mid-morning, and the Kat Fone yowled -- it was Kimberlee, her kitty "Jinxie" had been stuck since the previous night in a pine tree at a neighbor's house in Tupelo MS. I agreed to meet Kimberlee at her house when she came home from work at 5:30.

I arrived at Kimberlee's house a little bit before her, and I used that time to scout out a couple of nearby homes with pine trees, but I could not spot Jinxie. When Kimberlee drove up, I introduced myself and she led me the back yard of neighbor's house across the street. The yard was clear of trees, but across the back fence was a large plot of pine trees. It was Kimberlee's husband, Steve, who had actually spotted Jinxie, so we both started scanning trees looking for the poor kitty. We could hear some faint meows, but it took several minutes before I finally spotted Jinxie about 8 feet out on a limb at 35 ft. About this time, Steve arrived and helped me carry my equipment to the back yard. I threw my equipment across the fence, then climbed over. Before I started, I knocked on the house that adjoined the pine tree lot, and asked for permission to climb the tree from the gentleman who answered the door. He was more than happy for me to rescue the kitty, so I returned to the tree and starting setting up. I was able to hit a tie-in-point well above Jinxie, and soon had a climbing line installed.

I started up the line, and as I climbed, Jinxie went as far out on the limb as he could. I started to worry that this rescue may be more difficult than I had initially imagined, as I thought that Jinxie looked like a very friendly traveler. However, I need not have worried -- when I reached Jinxie's limb, he immediately came towards me -- so fast in fact, that I did not have time to put the Kat bag on before he reached me. I decided to scruff him and put him in my lap so I could keep control of him while I donned the Kat bag. Unwrapping and finagling the Kat bag with only one hand took a while, but Jinxie did not seem to mind - he laid in my lap and purred up a storm. Once the Kat bag was ready, it was an easy task to put Jinxie into the bag and return to the ground. Kimberlee took charge of Jinxie and carried him to the house for food, water, and loving. It was another easy rescue, for which I am grateful. All of the pictures below are courtesy of Kimberlee. Many thanks for your generous donation to the Oktibbeha County Humane Society!

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