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I've failed the cat lady

26K views 226 replies 57 participants last post by  tgeb 
#1 · (Edited)
EDIT: Cat was finally recovered after being trapped for nine days. :thumbup:

Got a referral from a very loyal customer to go help out a co-worker who just moved into a townhouse with her three cats.

One of them is missing, somewhere in the bowels of the house.

She's heard the cat crying; even has recordings of it. I tore open ductwork and made swiss cheese of the drywall with a 4" hole saw with no luck. She called a historical restoration company, and the guy came over with a scope and high-end thermal imager--no luck.

Her dad stopped by with HIS hole saw and made Alpine Lace out of my swiss cheese. Still no cat.

She's not just being sneaky, either. Food and water left out are untouched, and she's sounding weaker all the time. Unfortunately, she's not very talkative, and absolutely clams up when strangers are in the house, so I haven't had a chance to hear her myself.

It's been seven days.

Any ideas? You can keep the smartass ones to yourself; this is serious.
 
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#85 ·
I responded with two very helpful suggestions and had my posts removed so here's another idea.

Don't drywall the cat into the ceiling. If I was the lady I'd make you strip the sheet rock off until you found my cat way before 9 days went by. If I was the gc I'd make the drywaller strip drywall until the cat was found before I went on a witch hunt for some voodoo trick to make it right.

And just to be clear, what have you been doing for the last 9 or 10 now days to find the cat whiles it's been starving to death?

I sure as hell wouldn't be doing anything but finding the cat.

Ofcourse that being said I always make sure my clients animals are contained and or boarded off site while we work in homes with pets, because I like pets..
 
#90 ·
Matt, that's an easy call from where you are, but she doesn't have unlimited funds nor do I have the luxury of donating all of my time and materials for free. There are practical limits.

As I said, the FD guys told her they had never seen anyone do that much demo looking for a pet.
 
#92 ·
I'd be willing to bet a good insurance policy would help with that. Whether her homeowners or the morons who closed the cat in the ceiling.

If it wasn't freshly remodeled then it's in the ductwork. Find the open cover and set some food by it..
 
#97 ·
I haven't read anything that suggests the cat is missing due to construction.

Friday I went on a service call where the HO said something had got in the walls "somewhere" and died July 4 weekend, and must have chewed some wires. No one was able to find it. They had masked the smell pretty well.

Found it while trouble shooting the circuit, it was a dead fox, It had found it's way to the attic and got into the wall thru a lower closet ceiling.
 
#96 ·
I know that if Ms Titty (my cat) was trapped in my home, the wife and kids would assure it was found.

While I agree that cats are lower on my list than dogs I am an animal lover.

As an owner you have an obligation to provide them a safe environment, dig them out of the walls as needed.

Drywall is cheap...
 
#99 ·
I know that if Ms Titty (my cat) was trapped in my home, the wife and kids would assure it was found.

While I agree that cats are lower on my list than dogs I am an animal lover.

As an owner you have an obligation to provide them a safe environment, dig them out of the walls as needed.

Drywall is cheap...
Yes, but time is invaluable and often very limited
 
#119 ·
Have they tried looking under the fridge? Sometimes a cat can squeeze into that cardboard panel on the back and get stuck. Also, have they tried looking outside when they heard the cat? Maybe the cat got out and has been stuck the whole time and only meows when he thinks that he hears humans inside.
 
#127 ·
I was doing a small job in an apartment and given explicit directions to keep the cats closed in this one room. I had to open and close the door a few times though. When I was leaving I noticed the cats were gone. It was getting dark and I was freaking out even up and down city alleys looking for these cats. I was going to have to tell this lady her cats were gone. Practically crying, I noticed something move on the bed in that room. Those two cats were right where the pillows go under the comforter! Bastards
 
#132 ·
I don't know the sex of a cat in question here but if you got a cat of the opposite sex that was in heat... well.. you know.. love and sex has been a strong motivating factor in impossible situations that suddenly became possible.

Typical cat says, "Help! I'm stuck! I can't get out! HELP ME- wait...is that another cat? I'll be right there!"
 
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