Up a Tree Without a Ladder

Allow me...

to introduce you...

This is Thomas.

A bit dirty at the moment after a good "roll in the dirt"...

Having a good snore.

My Cat.

We LOVE Thomas.

He is a part of this family.

But lately, he's been staying out all night... Tom - cattin' .

Every morning, while I begin to stir, as I make my morning coffee, around 5:30, Thom comes to the kitchen door, he meows to let me know he's there, he comes in for his breakfast, then he stretches, yawns, licks himself, and goes to sleep for the day. It's what he does.

Well today, he wasnt at the kitchen door, but as I left to take the kids to school we could hear him calling. So when I returned home, I could still hear him calling me...

And you know when your kids fall or hurt themselves, you can just tell from their tone of voice. He was scared. Thom was calling me. He wants me to come and find him.

Like "meow-eow-EOW , NOW," Soooo, I pulled on my cowgirls boots and brave face, and headed off into the woods.

These woods...

Look closely at the woods behind my daughter.

It's dark and scary out there!

I live in the country, the woods beside my house is like a jungle...

Snakes...

rattlesnakes, copperheads...

and then there are the briars ...

huge briars that go all the way up through the top of the trees.

And vines, and kudzu... you cant see where you are walking...

So I'm trying to watch every step I take and keeping an eye out for snakes. I keep calling him, he keeps calling me. I went toward the east ... and noticed his meow was fading, as if I'd passed by him somehow.... I went north, then I went south ... and still his meow is fading. All I can think is that he's lying somewhere ripped apart and dying. I could not find him. Then I began to feel sick to my stomach.

After about 2 hours of this, I spotted him. 20 Feet into the woods ... 50 feet up a tree. He wasnt stuck, but he wouldn't come down. He would start to move then the wind would blow the tree top around. He was hangin on for dear life.

Can you see him?

Right there... in the center...

The picture quality is not good at this zoom percentage...

but there he is...

I thought I would never find him.

Now...

I've seen it on TV from time to time, but I've never seen a cat stuck in a tree.

So I went to the base of that tree ... he kept calling to me and I kept calling him. He would move around a bit as if he wanted to come down... but then he'd change his mind.

Well now, I haven't climbed a tree in a very long time. And I really did consider giving it a go. But seriously, even if I did try, my body would not co-operate.

We have a bit of a dilemma.

I thought, once he gets hungry enough, he'll come down.

He didnt come down.

So what do I do? Call my dad, of course.

Dad knows we love our cat. He is not a "cat" person.

None the less, he comes to the rescue.

Laughing a good bit at the lengths I go to for my cat...

Chainsaws on the ready!

And my Dad is like Babe Ruth when it comes to cutting down trees. He can just point to where its going to land. And that's exactly where it goes. Everytime.

Now, not to worry. Thom is going to be perfectly safe during this. There were so many other trees and vines surrounding Thom's tree, that it was like someone was holding on to it, and gently laid it down, ever so softly. It was perfectly executed. About 10 feet from the ground... He hit the ground running.

It was pretty funny too. I don't think he'll climb that high again any time soon.

And he didnt have a scratch on him.

Now I can relax.

So later in the day, I go to check the mail...

and there in the middle of my front yard...

was the fear I had all day...

Mr Slythering

Before

And Mr Slythering after I introduced him to

Mr. Twelve Guage.

What a day.