Normer Adams used to be afraid of heights. But the retired therapist decided to face his fears and climb trees. Turns out, he’s pretty good at scaling trees. In fact, at 71-years-old, Normer might be just as good at tree-climbing as any kitty, which says something because cats come installed with climbing gear!
And though cats are great at climbing trees, some of them have trouble getting back down. But not Normer. He has no problem putting his feet back on solid ground, thanks to safety ropes and ladders. And because he can get up and down again thanks to safety equipment and extreme patience, Normer is the savior of many a cat stuck in a tree!
Through his rescue service, Cat Man Do Rescue, Normer has rescued almost a thousand cats from trees. As he recently told Ellen DeGeneres, the number stands at 948, to be exact.
Overcoming His Fears to Save Fearful Felines
Rescuing cats from trees can be a tough job as not all cats are thankful for the rescue attempts! Many of them are already scared, and having a stranger approach with lots of strange stuff can send them into a further tizzy. Normer knows this, practicing patience with the fearful cats as he’s high off the ground, balancing on precarious perches to coax them into his special-made cat bag.
And while a kitty may not seem grateful at first, Normer shares you can feel the gratitude once they’re safely down, telling Daily Paws, “You can almost see their feeling of relief when they see they’re on the ground.”
Based in Fayetteville, Georgia, Normer started climbing trees to desensitize his fear of heights, and soon he was doing more than scaling trunks. Once he mastered his fear, he coupled the newfound ability with his love for animals and started saving cats from trees. And from this, Cat Man Do was born.
For four years, Normer has been rescuing cats from trees, and this year alone, he’s already saved 290 kitties. And he doesn’t limit his service to just his area. Cats across the state of Georgia have met Normer, with the cat lover once driving more than four hours to help a kitty who’d been stuck in a tree for four weeks. And he does it all for free.
This fact recently caught the attention of a celebrity known for giving back to those who do good in the world.
Cash To Further the Cat-Saving Cause
Ellen DeGeneres loves cats. And once she heard about the excellent work Normer does, she invited him to be a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Ellen and Normer discussed his process on the show, with the cat rescuer sharing he’s rescued cats from trees over 100 feet high.
Of Normer’s work, Ellen said, “I just think what he does is amazing. I love stories like this.”
Because Ellen found herself touched by Normer’s rescue efforts, she partnered with tisbest to give Normer $10,000 and a ton of cat goodies to further his work. tisbest also presented Normer with a $5,000 gift card to give the charity of his choice.
Watch a delighted Normer give his thanks below, and then check out the cat rescuer in action on his YouTube Channel.
H/T: www.etcanada.com
Feature Image: Cat ManDo Rescue/Facebook