Dispatch sent me to a roof check for a “really tall housecat” that turned out to be a serval giving my catch pole the side-eye. Funny moment, but per state law that’s a regulated exotic — secure the area, avoid handling unless you’re permitted, use proper PPE and a net box, and verify the owner’s paperwork before anyone leaves. Anyone else get the “just a cat” call that turns into paperwork hour?
Had a “tall housecat” on a carport — if the roof angle’s sketchy, I skip netting at height and bait a covered kennel at the only exit so it self-loads while everyone stays inside; those serval hops are no joke. I’m with you on PPE and paperwork, but if the owner can’t produce it on scene, I snap a pic of any collar tag and scan for 134 kHz, then hold pending verification rather than releasing back to them.
Quick tip: before you sign, ask if charting and follow-ups are paid separately from live minutes and what metrics they use for remote hygiene. In my last tele-dent role, the “kit” included a webcam but no headset, and the HIPAA software seat and VPN were on me, so that bonus shrank without an equipment stipend. Small caveat: confirm time zones and the no-show policy so you’re not chasing “ghost patients” at 6 a.m. — some Mondays felt 90% brushing, 10% buffering.
Same “really tall housecat” at 2 a.m. for me — thermal first, then a red-filter headlamp while I run two herding boards to funnel it into a net box at the gutter so the catch pole never comes out. If the roof’s damp or windy, I stop the roof work, lock down the perimeter, and get Fish & Wildlife on the line to document and confirm the permit before anyone leaves.
I don’t climb those on slick tile; I use a painter’s-pole mirror to find the tuck spot, then stage a net box at the nearest gutter and crack a tin of mackerel so it walks straight in. > lock down the perimeter, and get Fish & Wildlife on the line to document and confirm the permit — Agreed; if the wind’s kicking, I wait for first light.
On a “tall housecat” over a carport, I kill white light and switch to amber, then run a low-volume prey-chirp from a speaker at the downspout — he followed the sound off the tiles into a transfer crate, no pole needed. > avoid handling unless you’re permitted — Agreed; I have the owner text a permit photo before staging, and if wind’s up I wait for first light. Anyone else had luck with sound lures?