"ittle" -- A Big Kitty in a Big Tree

Details

Being Good Friday, it was a University holiday and I had slept a bit late. Getting up, I checked the Kat Phone as normal and found a Facebook message, a missed call, and a voice mail. The Facebook message was from Morgan - her tree company (Kelly tree services) had received a call from Pat in Fulton MS about a stuck kitty, but all of their workers were currently out of the state, could I help? The voice mail was from Pat, so I returned the call and learned that 'ittle' had been chased up a tree by a dog the previous day, could I get him down? I arranged to be there later that morning.

I was met by Ronnie (Pat's husband) when I arrived, and he led me to their backyard, which ended at a densely wood area that sloped steeply down to a gully. We could see 'ittle' hanging out on a small branch in a tree about 25 yards from us, and it appeared that he was about even with our position even though he was 30 feet up an insanely tall hardwood (at least 100 ft tall, could not tell the species since leaves were down but perhaps a tulip poplar). Ronnie and I started lugging my gear to the tree; it was a tough trek given the steep decline and dense brush leading to the base of the tree. The tree had many good tie-in points, and I was able to hit one at about 70 feet on my first try. The throw bag actually bumped into "ittle" on the way down, scaring him a bit but he was able to hang on. He yowled a little during rope installation as he did not like the rope passing so close to him.

As I geared up, we were joined by Pat and by Addi, their teenage grandaughter (original rescuer of 'ittle' from the side of the road when he was a kitten). I started climbing slowly, trying to keep 'ittle' calm as I did not want him climbing any higher. When I reached him, I tried a food bribe with kitty treats but he was not interested. Fortunately, "ittle" remained calm and let me bag him with no trouble. Despite his name, he was not an 'ittle' kitty - he definitely had been eating well under Pat and Ronnie's care! On the ground, I handed him off to Addi who took him inside for food and water. Pat sent me the picture below of 'ittle' having a nap after his rescue. I hope the dog that chased him stays away from now on!