Cat Rescued After Living in a Bird Nest!

Amazing Rescue Caught on Camera

One of the “pet detectives” in our Network, Randall Kolb, just had a heartwarming case of a cat named Coon who was trapped up a very tall tree for a few days. Coon took up residence inside of a large bird nest and the video (located below) of his rescue is SO SWEET!

Here’s Randall telling the story of what happened, in his own words (used by permission), from his Cat Rescue Guy Facebook page:

You would think that after all the hundreds of cases of cats in trees I have seen that I would be at least a little bit desensitized to the sound of their cry when they are calling out loudly for help, but when I arrived to rescue Coon in Picayune, Mississippi, I found his cry to be one of the most distressing and heart-breaking cries I have ever heard.

Coon, immediately after his rescue (photo by Randall Kolb)

This nine-month-old tabby was 55 feet high near the top of a tree at the edge of the woods, and he was all alone, helpless, and hopeless after spending two nights there. As you will hear in the video below, he cried loudly, emotionally, and persistently, and his cry drove straight into my heart and ignited a powerful, paternal instinct that would stop at nothing to help him.

Bird nest where Coon the cat stayed in within his 55 foot tall tree! (Photo by Randall Kolb)

When his family first found him in the tree after his escape from the house, Coon was lower in the tree, clearly visible, and easily found by following his loud crying. After fruitlessly trying all they knew to get him down, they called me, and I agreed to go there the next day. Later that day, however, they could not find him. He did not appear to be in the tree any longer, and he wasn't crying either. Cats often come down or fall down, so I gave them advice about what to do for a missing indoor cat.

That night, they found him. Coon was still in the same tree, but he had climbed up higher where he found a large nest to use for a safe perch. In the nest, he was hidden from view from below, and he was resting and quiet, so there was no way his family could find him until he poked his head over the edge of the nest into the light of their flashlight, and the glow of his eyes in the darkness told them he was still there.

Coon the cat meowing (in his bird nest) his appreciation for Randall coming to his rescue! (Photo credit: Randall Kolb, the Cat Rescue Guy)

While climbing the tree was a little challenging, rescuing Coon was pretty easy. He was pretty excited to see me coming up to him, and in the video you can hear the distress in Coon’s voice change to excitement when he first sees me below. Once I was close to him, he was friendly and trusting. I was in no position to make a lap for him, but I decided to make another nest for him by spreading the cat bag over my body and the ropes that were holding me to the tree.

I lifted him off his limb and held him in my arms over this new nest, and he immediately began to purr. He was feeling safe and secure now as I held and petted him for a minute. It was a little awkward, but I gradually worked all his legs onto the bottom of the bag and pulled the bag up around him to secure him for the ride back down to the ground. Once we were on the ground, I handed him over to Tonya who took him back inside the house. He went straight to the litter box and then happily settled into the comforts of home.

This story teaches valuable lessons for those who are searching for a lost cat.

Lesson 1: Missing cats sometimes climb trees, and some of those times, they will settle in an existing nest. Once in the nest, they cannot be seen from the ground, so pay attention to nests when searching trees for your cat.

Lesson 2: Cats often move around in the tree. If you find that your cat is not in the same spot where he was earlier, don't assume he is not in the tree. He could be higher, lower, or even in an adjacent tree, so search thoroughly before making any conclusions.

Lesson 3: All cats, even very vocal ones, will rest and stop crying for periods of time. They may not even respond to you if they hear you, so you can't rely on them to lead you to them.

Lesson 4: Using a strong flashlight at night is sometimes the most effective way to find your cat. Their eyes must be open, and they must be facing your general direction, but their eyes will shine brightly in the darkness. You just need to be sure those eyes belong to your cat and not some other creature.

Coon purring in his nest, clearly showing love and appreciation for Randall. (photo credit: Randall Kolb, Cat Rescue Guy).

I LOVE Randall, his work, and the tenderness and lovingkindness towards cats that he shows in his cases. And even more amazing, he does all of these very dangerous cat rescues from trees as a volunteer and if/when you offer to give him a donation, he kindly asks you to instead donate to your local shelter or rescue group.

You can follow Randall and his amazing rescues of cats trapped up trees on his Facebook page Cat Rescue Guy.