Winston, the amazing return.

By MEG CRISP
For Brentwood Home Page
We were able to bring our cat Winston home Sunday after 23 long days missing! And our family is so grateful to have him back. It had been such a struggle losing him, then looking for him, all the while imagining the worst, and after 23 days, nearly giving up hope . . . with our greatest fear that he had been eaten by a coyote.

But miracles do happen. And here is ours:

On Sunday afternoon, I received a call from our daughter Leslie, who is a freshman at UT in Knoxville, and she had heard from her friend Laura Gerdesmeier that Laura’s mom, Judi, had been trying to reach me. The Gerdesmeiers had heard from friends of theirs – Marla and Alberto Pena who live near Granny White Park – that they had discovered a tabby cat stuck in a tree in an area adjoining their property – and less than a quarter mile from our house.

They had discovered the cat a few days ago when their little girls were outside with their dad after dark and they heard a cat crying. They grabbed a flashlight and discovered the cat way up in a tree. But they could not lure him down, even after putting food out at the base of the tree. Then they called the Brentwood Fire department (and were told they don’t rescue cats), the Brentwood Police (they don’t either) and Williamson County Animal Control (apparently they don’t either). 

Marla had remembered receiving a flyer about a lost cat from McGavock Farms in their mailbox a few weeks ago (from us) but after some time passed, they had thrown the flyer away. So she called a couple of people she knew in McGavock Farms to try and find us. One of these families was the Gerdesmeiers. And the call paid off, because Leslie, to help in the search, had a couple of weeks earlier sent out a big Facebook notice about our missing cat to a bunch of friends who live in West Brentwood, including Laura Gerdesmeier. 

So we listened to our messages on our home machine, and indeed, we had one from Judi Gerdesmeier and another from Marla Pena, describing where they lived and where the tree was that contained the cat.  The Penas had to run out briefly, but John and I immediately rushed over to the area they described. 

We first walked in the common area behind their property -- and then along Granny White Park, but we saw no sign of a cat. We then decided to walk along the other side of their property in a section of trees that run parallel to McGavock Road behind the houses there. As we approached that area, we began to hear a cat meowing – very  loud and incessant. When we got close, we could see an orange tabby on a high branch, maybe 25 to 30 feet up in the tree with no other branches, just the big trunk underneath.

John immediately said “that’s Winston.”  I immediately said “No, it isn’t!!” – even though I could see he had a collar on and what looked like an invisible fence monitor on it (not very common). But I was so desperate not to be disappointed again, I was in denial.

We then found our way around a fence that separated the Pena’s property from the tree. It was an area of wild and dense underbrush, but we made our way to the tree. The cat was making all kind of racket at this point, and John was calling him and hoping he would come down.I was thinking: “I’m going home to get the extension ladder.”

John didn’t want both of us to leave the cat in case it came down, so I apprised another nearby property owner, Mr. Tarkington, of the situation and raced home, and with the help of my neighbor Bob McDugald, we got our long (but unextended ladder) in the back of my short SUV. I headed off with the back of my car open and lots of the ladder hanging out the back. I was holding on to it for dear life.

Once I returned to the Tarkingtons’ driveway with the ladder, John got it out and headed through the woods straight for the tree.  As we were putting the ladder up, the Penas also arrived home. With Alberto Pena’s help, we extended the ladder as high as it would go. Alberto and John held on to it securely while I climbed up, up and up.  As I got near the top of the ladder, I still couldn’t reach the cat, and they kept saying “one more rung!”  I ended up on the next-to-the-top rung, at least 25 feet up, and I had nothing to hang onto except the tree – and believe me I was hanging on to that tree.

Still, the cat was on the opposite side of the tree trunk, he was upset, and wouldn’t come to me. But as soon as I was high enough, I managed to touch the cat on his flank, and he immediately turned around to face me. I was able to grab his front leg and lift him toward me around the tree. He was so unusually light.  And as I got him close to my body, I could feel his backbone so easily.  He was so thin, I started crying. I knew it was Winston, but he was so skinny, I knew he had not eaten for a long while. 

Once Winston and I came down the ladder, we were all so excited. And the Penas’ two little girls, who are really Winston’s most special guardian angels in this tale, wanted to meet him up close and personal. So after sharing our heartfelt thanks to the entire Pena family, we brought Winston home, where he has been convalescing. He lost about a third of his body weight over the past three weeks, and he is exhausted, but otherwise, unharmed, and as sweet and special as ever. 

I can’t tell you how grateful we are -- not only to the Penas and to the Gerdesmeiers -- but to all of our Brentwood neighbors -- in McGavock Farms, in Meadowlake, in Brentwood Country Club, in Belle Rive, in Laurelwood, Wildwood and River Oaks.  I have had dozens of neighbors call me with cat sightings or with words of support over these past three weeks, and we have run here and there to chase down every lead, even though none turned out to lead to Winston, until this past Sunday. But we are no less grateful for all our wonderful neighbors and their attentiveness and support during our plight. 

And thank you, too, for Brentwood Home Page for helping us get the word out about Winston. And, for providing such a unifying and positive voice for our community online.

Brentwood, YOU ARE AWESOME!  We appreciate your help and support so much. Because, while perhaps just another cat to others, Winston is a very dear and special member of our family.  And we are so grateful to now have him safely back again in our home. With much appreciation and love to all.