Wis. man finds cat in tree, builds him a shelter, feeds him salami and meatloaf

By Lindsay Goldwert
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Madison.com

Meet Almond, the pleasantly plump cat that lives in a tree.

When Ron Venden of Green County, Wis., found a cat in his tree, he didn't call the fire department. He built him a tree-shelter and began feeding him salami and meatloaf.

Venden, a 66-year-old retired carpenter, told the Wisconsin State Journal that a mother cat had kittens in the high branches of a tree on his property.

"She up and left and moved them all, except this little one," he said.

After hearing a noise in his tree seven months earlier, Venden got out his ladder and investigated. It was there he found the little kitten, whom he named Almond.

"At first he was real feisty at me, but soon he started letting me pet him and now he's as tame as can be," he said.

Almond, who never leaves his tree, has grown plump on what Venden feeds him: salami and meatloaf in a Tupperware dish.

Venden has built Almond a straw bed and a protective tarp in the tree to protect him from the icy Wisconsin elements.

He says he's not going to stop feeding and caring for his tree cat -- and he'll make sure someone will always look after him.

"I want to see how long it stays here," he said, happily petting his tree-bound friend. "I kind of enjoy it. The neighbors think I'm goofy."

Patrick Comfert, Dane County's lead animal services officer, told the Wisconsin State Journal that Almond's tree-dwelling habits are news to him.

"We have all gotten our share of cat-in-a-tree calls, but we've never known one to stay up there forever," he said.

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