The "Monkey" Who CoulD Not CLimb Down

Details

It was late afternoon when I noticed a voice mail on the Kat Fone. It was from Noelle; there was a cat in her neighborhood in Clinton MS that had been stuck for several days and she wondered if I could help. It was too late in the day for me to drive down, so I forwarded her some tree service contacts in the area that she passed on to the cat owner. Later that night, Prudence (kitty owner), contacted me and I arranged to be out there mid-afternoon of the next day. The kitty ("Monkey") had been stuck in a neighbor's back yard oak tree for four nights.

The next morning, Noelle texted and asked for a status update. I told her that the owner made contact with me, and that I was going to rescue the kitty later that afternoon. Noelle could not be present at the rescue as she had to pick up children from school so she wished me luck.

When I arrived at the home, I quickly spotted "Monkey" hanging out on a limb in a back yard tree. Whitney answered the door when I knocked. I explained that I was there to rescue the kitty, and she was relieved that I was there. I started carrying equipment to the tree and was soon joined by Prudence, who had left work early. Monkey was only about 25 feet up, and I could see evidence of previous rescue attempts (ladder, food bucket, etc). Nothing had worked, Monkey was stubbornly being held captive by the dastardly tree. Prudence explained that Monkey was her college-age daughter's kitty, and that she was currently away, attending Mississippi State. Maddox, Whitney's young son, joined us to watch the rescue.

I soon had a rope established in the tree and started up. Monkey watched anxiously as I climbed; he wanted to be rescued. My rope passed next to the limb that Monkey was originally on, but during the rope set up he moved to the other side of the tree and one limb down. When I reached the original limb, I brought out some kitty treats and enticed Monkey to come back to his original limb. This put him in easy grabbing distance and he was soon safely in the bag. Prudence took him inside for food and water, and later sent me the post-rescue pictures below. I texted Noelle and let her know that the kitty was safe, and thanked her for being proactive in locating me. Noelle was relieved and thanked me for the rescue. I hope that Monkey stays out of trees in the future!