"Stassi" The Escape Artist

Executive Summary

Jessica contacted me about "Stassi", one of her rescue kitties who had been stuck way up high a tree for 9 days in McMinnville TN. When I arrived the next day, Jessica and Matt (her husband) led me to her neighbor's backyard. The tree was a large hardwood on the edge of a creek, and Stassi was in a union at about 50 feet. The main stem had broken off about 15 feet above this union, but the secondary stem continued up and out at about a 45 degree angle for at least 30 more feet. Stassi had been running up and down the secondary stem, never progressing down the tree from this union. As we approached the tree, Stassi bolted up the secondary stem disappearing into the foliage. Jessica thought that she would come to me if I reached the union, so I established a rope and climbed up. I was able to stand in the union but I could not see Stassi, only hear faint meows. I shook a treat bag and called, but after 20 minutes, she had not come any closer. Matt grabbed the live trap from my truck, and I hauled it up and attached it to the secondary stem with bungee cords. I baited the trap and came down. On the ground, Jessica showed me Stassi's location - she was at the very end of the secondary union, up at least 70 feet, and there was no way that I could have possibly reached her.

I left Jessica calling to Stassi, hoping she would work her way back down the stem. At mid-afternoon I received a text that Stassi was only 10 ft from the trap, and another text in the evening that Stassi was in the trap! Whew. I told Jessica that I would be there at noon the next day. In the morning, I received a text from Jessica that Stassi had shown up at the back door, wanting to eat, and 10 minutes later, wanting to go back outside - no apparent injuries. WUT?! I drove back to McMinnville, and climbed up to retrieve the trap. The cat food can was empty, so she had definitely been in the trap , but the door was closed. I finally decided that the inclined angle of the trap on the limb prevented the locking rings from sliding down when the door fell closed, and that Stassi had pushed her way back out. At that point, she either fell or climbed down, we don't know what happened. I have ordered a different live trap with a more secure locking mechanism to prevent this from happening again! Luckily, all ended well.