The Kitten

This weekend I saved a kitten from a tree. I rode my bike to running club along the canal and noticed that two people were staring at a tree. As I passed the tree, I realized they were staring at a kitten. He was probably about 15 feet up and the trunk of the tree was not standing at much of an angle. I decided that if he was still in the tree on my ride back home, I would make an attempt to help him.

Sure enough, he was still there an hour and a half later. I knew there was no way I could climb the tree. In addition, the tree sat on a slope and the slope became the diversion canal (this canal is empty, but parallels the full canal. When we get a lot of rain, the diversion canal fills up about a foot deep). I thought that maybe I could buy a pool net and lift it up to the kitten. With this idea in mind, I rode my bike to the Target about a mile away. On the way, I passed a milk crate, which led to a new idea. When I got to Target, I decided against the pool net and bought some rope and kitten treats. On the way back from Target, I stopped and got the milk crate. I rode the mile back to the tree holding the milk crate and my handlebar in my right hand. I am a bit of a wuss on my bike, so I was proud of my ability to do this without crashing.

I returned to the tree ready to put my plan into action. In theory, I could throw the rope over a tree branch. Then I could tie the loose end of the rope to the milk crate. I would put the cat treats into the milk crate and hoist the crate up to the tree branch. If the cat trusted the plan, it would step into the crate to eat the treats. My back-up plans were that I would hit the kitten with the rope and knock it out of the tree or I would scare it enough to come down on its own. Unfortunately, I am a horrible thrower and could not implement the plan. Try all my might, the rope simply would not make it over the branch. Twice, I managed to get the rope stuck in a twig just a few inches shy of my target.

While I made these awful attempts, I was passed by numerous runners, walkers, and bikers on the canal. Some gave me funny looks, while others stopped to see what I was doing. One person asked if I was participating in an event. I guess with all the scavenger/adventure races going on lately, that question wasn't too absurd. Of the several people who did stop to talk with me, none offered to help and most gave the impression that I was crazy for putting in all this effort. The general consensus was that it would come down eventually. I agreed with all of these opinions. However, I realized that I wasn't really interested in saving the kitten, but interested in seeing if I COULD save the kitten. A lot of research points to how awful we have become at divergent thinking skills. Moreso than anything else, I wanted to prove to myself that I could invent a creative plan and put it into action.

So I tolerated the judgmental stares the best I could and tried not to throw the rope while people were passing me. One man did suggest I tie something heavy around the end of the rope. This was a good idea and I used my bike lock as the heavy thing. Amaz

ingly, the bike lock even survived the torture I put it through. After about a half hour of thi

s, I gave Craig a call. He was a childhood pitcher and would probably be more successful than I in this endeavor. Craig did not laugh at my plan, but instead biked over to help me out. After a few tries, he managed to get the rope over the tree branch. With about a dozen whips, Craig got the rope to come down the other end.

Around this time, we had gathered a small, less skeptical audience. A man mentioned that he had been here yesterday when animal control tried to catch this kitten and scared it up the tree. Craig tied the rope to the crate and we hoisted the crate up. The first attempt was unsuccessful because the crate was tipped sideways. On the second attempt, Craig tied the rope so that the crate would lie flat. He lifted the crate back up to the tree branch.

The kitten was immediately interested in this new addition to the tree. He walked around to one side of the crate and put a paw on the edge of it. As the crate rocked from the weight of his paw, he realized that this would not be a stable device and became nervous. However, within a minute, he put his front paws into the crate and put his back paws on the edge of the crate. Without delay, Craig brought the crate down to the ground. And the kitten was saved.

I have included some pictures to document the event. Also I have included some pictures to impress you with how adorable this kitten is. Do you want him? Please?