"Tank" - A Cold and Windy Rescue

Details

I had just returned from "Kill-Em" Claudia's morning workout class at the gym when I noticed a voicemail on the Kat Fone. It was from Darryl, his kitty had been stuck overnight way up a tree in Tupelo, could I help? I felt sorry for the kitty since the overnight low was 28F, and called Darryl back. I arranged to be there later in the morning.

On arrival, I was met by Darryl and the family's pitbull (best buds with "Tank" the kitty). Helping me tote gear, Darryl led me down a path in the back of the house that wound into his wooded property. Before too long, I could hear a kitty pitifully crying for help. Darryl pointed at a tall hardwood and said that Tank was the top. It took me a minute, but I finally spotted him. Tank was at 60 feet without much tree left to climb. I spotted a decent union at 55 feet and was lucky enough to hit it on my first throw bag shot. Tank was scared during rope installation and came down to the same union that the rope was in. However, during the climb, he retreated back to his original location, which was a sturdy juncture of several limbs.

When I reached Tank, he meowed softly, anxiously eyeing me. A north wind was causing the tree to sway quit a bit, which neither of us enjoyed. Tank cautiously sniffed my fingers, and then allowed me to stroke him. Soon he was arching into my strokes and rubbing his head on the branches. Tank allowed me to scruff and bag him with no struggles and only a couple of vocal complaints. We descended, and I handed bag + Tank to Darryl who brought him inside. During gear packup, I met Tamara (Darryl's wife), who sent me the photo below of Tank enjoying a post-rescue meal. I hope that Tank stays out of trees in the future!