"Suzy" in A Sweet GUM Tree

Details

It was a Saturday morning when I received a call from Doug. His mother's kitty, "Suzy" had been stuck for 3 days near Harrisville MS. Since this is about 30 miles south of Jackson, I pointed Doug to some Jackson rescuers and told him to try those first -- if they did not work out, I would come out the next day. I got a second call later that morning and rescued "Luna" near Collinsville that afternoon.

That night, I contacted Doug to check on the kitty's status. None of the Jackson resources would come out, so I arranged to be there the next day. When I arrived, I was met by Doug and by Nathan (Suzy's special guy). I learned that Suzy is a mostly indoor kitty, but had been getting out recently, and had to be rescued from the roof and another tree within the last month. But this time, she was too high for them to rescue. They helped cart my gear to the backyard, where Suzy was crying from her perch 45 feet up the tree. Suzy is a two year rescue tabby, and petite, lightweight. During rope installation, Suzy ran all over the top of the tree, going up and down by 10 feet, but was unable to find a way down. I was having trouble hitting the highest tie-in, and finally settled for something at about 35 feet thinking that Suzy would climb down to me. Sure enough, she climbed down to that limb and began playing with the throw line. I pulled the rope up, donned gear and started climbing. As I neared her, Suzy spooked and retreated about five feet up and to the other side of the tree. However, she came racing back after I pulled out a bag of kitty treats and shook them - she was hungry! Suzy allowed me to pet her, but fussed a little while I scruffed and bagged her. Back on the ground Nathan brought her in for food and water. Hopefully Suzy does not have any more outside escapes!