Cat Man Do Saves More Than Just 9 Lives: Retired Georgia Social Worker Rescues Stranded Cats in Trees
TisBest is on a mission to #RedefineGifting by replacing gifts of stuff with gifts of good. In that spirit, we’d like to feature heartwarming stories of special people, who are also doing good in this world. We hope it inspires others to spread some kindness and love in their communities.
While Superman scales tall buildings in a single bound, Cat Man Do risks life and limb to climb trees instead. Superhero Normer Adams is a 71-year-old grandfather who has dedicated his retirement to rescuing cats that are stuck in trees. Four years ago, he combined his tree-climbing hobby with his love for cats to create Cat Man Do, a free cat rescue service in Georgia. To date, he has rescued over 900 cats — all while overcoming his fear of heights.
The retired therapist said he started climbing trees as a desensitization technique to help him overcome his phobia. “When I first started climbing trees, I couldn’t go over 10 feet up,” he says. With the safety of his helmet and harness, he pushed through his fear and now scales to unimaginable heights. Once he overcame his fear, Adams wanted to do more with his newfound abilities. He started rescuing cats and when he saw how much people appreciated it, Cat Man Do was born.
Before retiring from Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children, Adams advocated for “at risk” children across the state of Georgia for 23 years at the Georgia State Capitol. Upon retirement, Adams continues to serve children through various boards, now climbs trees for fun (with grandkids and friends), and rescues cats out of trees — reuniting them with their owners. Although he offers his cat rescue services for free, some owners insist on giving him money – which he in turn gives to charities he supports.
Out of the top 30 U.S. charities donated to through TisBest, eight of those service animals. So, when we learned about Normer Adam’s services, we were inspired to support his mission. Normer Adams was a featured guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where Ellen commended him for his exemplary service. During Adams’ interview, Ellen surprised him with a $10,000 TisBest check so he can pay that forward to the charities he cares about most.
Cat Man Do provides free in-tree rescues for cats, children, and other wayward creatures who find themselves in trees. Once and a while, you can even find Normer Adams hanging from a branch to retrieve drones and model airplanes.
To learn more about Normer Adams’ services, visit Georgia Cat in Tree Rescue’s website and keep up with his cat rescuing adventures by following Cat Man Do Rescue Services on Facebook.
Create More Warm Fuzzies!
Join us in the movement to #RedefineGifting by replacing gifts of stuff with gifts of good. If you feel inspired by this heartwarming story, spread a little more love in our world. Send a TisBest Charity Gift Card to those close to your heart so they can pay it forward to a charity that is close to theirs. Or give a card to a stranger as a random act of kindness. Together, you’ll do a world of good.
Share your giving stories with us on social by tagging your post with #RedefineGifting.