"Cruella" A Sweet Kitty in a Cruel Tree

Details

It was mid-afternoon when I noticed a text message on the Kat Fone about a kitty stuck in a tree in Meridian. I called back and talked with Chelsea, who told me her kitty had been stuck for 5 days, could I help? It was too late to do the rescue that day, so I arranged to be there the next day at noon. Chelsea would come home from work to be there.

"Cruella" was stuck in a tree at a neighbor' house, and when I pulled into the driveway, I was greeted by Max the Large Dog. After some petting, he decided that it was OK for me to be there. I knocked on a couple of doors but nobody answered, so I texted Chelsea to let her neighbor know that a strange guy was about to climb a tree in their yard. I had spotted Cruella when I exited the truck as she was hard to miss - she was crying up a storm and the tree was a short distance from the driveway. Cruella was about 35 feet up but very mobile. I unloaded my equipment and carried it to the tree. I spotted a limb at 50 feet and start trying to establish a line in the tree. After a few tries with my Big-Shot launcher I had accomplished two things: a) I had scared Cruella up to the limb I was trying to hit, and b) had gotten two throwlines and two throw bags stuck as there was a nasty vine that went up about 30 feet. I had one more throwbag and throwline, and after saying a few prayers, tried again. Luckily, I finally made a good shot and was then able to pull up a climbing line.

About this time I heard a noise behind me, and turned to see Jill, the homeowner, standing behind me. She had been in the house but did not hear my knocking but she had been expecting me. After introductions, she explained that it was through her efforts that my contact info had been discovered - she had asked at church for cat-stuck-tree help and a friend had forwarded my name to her. While we were talking, Chelsea arrived. Cruella responded immediately to Chelsea's voice and came down about 10 feet, close to where she was when I first arrived. I geared up and started up the rope. On the way, I rescued my stuck throw bags from the evil vines. When I neared Cruella, I put the Kat Bag on my hand -- Cruella was rubbing her head on limbs and moving about frantically, clearly wanting down. When I reached Cruella, I stretched out my hand so that it could be thoroughly sniffed. However, Cruella did not want to let me touch her head. I broke out the kitty treats, and Cruella decided that I was OK after eating a few. A quick nab and she was in the bag. Once on the ground, I handed her off to Chelsea, who took off to the house on a food and water mission. When I almost finished packing, Chelsea returned and said that Cruella was eating a big meal and looked fine. I am happy that all went well and I hope the Cruella stays out of trees in the future!