A Double Rescue Day

Executive Summary

Fire dispatch contacted me about a kitty stuck in northwest Huntsville, and through them, was able to contact Michael, who told me that a neighborhood kitty who had been missing for a few days had been found stuck about 30 feet up a tree on a wooded lot. Michael had to be at church the next morning, so he put me in contact with Tammy and Johnny, some other neighbors who wanted to help out.  Johnny met me the next morning with several other neighbors, and he led me to a wooded lot where the kitty (I will call him Grey) was stuck about 30 feet up. Grey was a neighborhood kitty who was known by all (and fed by all), and everyone was concerned. Grey was in a spindly tree that shook when I put my rope in it - as I was trying to tighten the rope, the tree started swaying and Grey fell out. His fall was cushioned by some thick underbrush, and after hitting the soft ground, he ran off, heading for a quiet place where he could settle down. Grey appeared just fine and everyone was relieved that he was out of the tree.  Johnny, many thanks for all of your help in setting up the rope, and Michael, for your concern for the kitty.

After the rescue, I head to Laura and Jeff's house just seven minutes away - they had an unknown calico who had been stuck 25 feet up a crepe myrtle since the previous night. Laura met me on arrival, and led me to the tree in the backyard.  The kitty was not high, but out of easy reach, so I put up a couple of self-supporting ropes since the stems were not that large - it got me within grab-pole range of the kitty. Several neighbors gathered and held a tarp underneath the kitty as I made the pole grab. I snared the kitty successfully, but did not tighten enough, and the kitty slipped of the noose a few feet above the tarp. She hit the tarp, bounced out, and ran off - hopefully heading to her house with a story about a tree and some folks who tried to catch her!