Disclaimer: No animals were harmed in this crisis.
I came home from work last week, got out of the car and could hear the cat meowing. Following the sound I looked up and saw Briley's very pregnant cat precariously perched quite a ways up in a tree. After trying for a minute to talk her down I realized she was stuck. Front legs over one set of branches and back legs over another set with her belly high centered between. Of course my first thought get the camera!! After taking some pictures I found her meow was not quite as perky as when I first got home so I better do something to help. I started to climb the tree and found I am not as young and skinny as I once was so I came back down thinking ok its time to go get Briley from school and she can climb it and help her. We got home and the meow was even less perky so up the tree Briley went. Did I mention she is deathly afraid of heights! She got up a ways looked down panicked and climbed down as fast as she could yelling " Mom I can't do this".
Now things were getting serious so I did the only thing I knew to do. I called my brother- in -law who is part monkey, who I knew could climb the tree. They live in Hinckley about 5 miles away, the conversation went something like this. "Matt this is Shelly, I feel so stupid asking you this but Briley's very pregnant cat is stuck up in the tree. Neither one of us can climb it to help her and her meow is kind of sick sounding and I am getting kind of worried about her. Can you come over? Matt: ( snickering I'm sure at the crazy lady on the other end of the phone)( just kidding)
" I have the baby, but Austin will be home in just a minute. I will leave him with him and come."
" Thanks Matt" ( again feeling like an Idiot!) Mean while back in the tree unbeknownst to me Briley had recruited the neighbor girl and together they thought to go get the long bamboo pole out in the garage, the neighbor climbed the tree until she could reach the cat, braced herself then took that pole and boosted the cats tail ender over the branch and got her unstuck! I ran back in the house as fast as I could, called Matt back luckily catching him before he left. Whew!! Crisis over! I am happy to report that she had 3 healthy kittens just a couple of days later.
