"IGmu" Captured by a Pine Tree

Details

I received a text message on Wednesday morning from Caroline in Oxford MS. Their family cat, a two year old rescue kitty, had gone missing the night before and she had just found him up a pine tree in their back yard -- could I help? I replied that I would be there around noon. I was met on arrival by Kerry (Caroline's hubby), who helped pack my gear to the back yard tree that was holding "Igmu" (aka Iggy) prisoner. Iggy was at about 35 feet, and meowed softly as we unloaded gear. He was well supported on a group of limbs that circled the trunk, and he clambered to each side of the tree as I decided where to place a rope. I finally chose a good union at about 40 feet and was fortunate to hit it on my first throwbag shot. Iggy remained calm throughout the rope setup. I donned my gear and began climbing. When I was a couple of feet below him, Iggy allowed me to softly stroke his cheek and back. I continued up until I was above Iggy, where I stroked him again. Iggy was calm, and enjoyed the attention. He made no complaints as I nabbed and bagged him. Back on the ground, Kerry took Iggy inside for food and water. After the truck was packed, I was able to get a nice photo of Iggy relaxing in Kerry's arms. It is unknown why Iggy climbed the tree. The entire yard is surrounded by a high wooded fence, and the tree was inside the fence. Iggy is only out during the day, so he must have climbed the tree sometimes in the afternoon of the previous day. I hope that Iggy stays out of trees in the future!