Serious question. We had an old, indoor cat. She was nearing her end and, as cats are wont to do, we’re pretty sure she set out last night to find it. In the basement. The partially unfinished basement. With access up between the floor joists over the finished part, and behind some drywall, and maybe even a HVAC duct, etc. We’re afraid she slunk into some deep dark recess and passed away. I’ve looked everywhere I possibly can, but there are some places I can’t physically reach or see in to.
Serious question - who the hell do we call to find a dead cat somewhere in the house? Serve Pro? Pest control service? I recall hearing they could find a dead mouse stuck in a wall.
All I can possibly think of is a thermal image camera. Fire departments have them but I can assure you they will not respond to a call to hunt a dead cat. If, by happen stance, you know a firefighter personally you might ask if he/she could do it on the downlow. That’s all I can think of. Of course the longer it takes the more obvious it will be.
I would use a small digital camera (even taking a series of stills) to check obvious nooks and crannies I can reach but not look into. After that I would call pest control or wait for some signs/smells.
I think you will have some flies in the basement in a few days. Maybe if you hang some fly paper all over the basement, you can at least get some idea of the location of the cat by the density of the trapped flies.
Unfortunately a thermal camera won’t be useful for a deceased kitty as said kitty will be room temperature.
A cell phone or small camera on a stick with a light to reach into areas, retrieve, look at video, repeat as necessary is the most logical concept I can offer for a homeowner.
Firstly; I really am sorry about the cat. I miss my late pets more than I do some family members.
Secondly, depending on some variables, I believe thermal could still find a deceased kitty. Some decomp, in some stages, will generate heat. I know its sometimes used for looking for human remains.
I’m sorry to hear about you cat, and your conundrum.
But welcome to SD: your first post is so perfectly, I don’t know, SD -ish. Befitting, I hope you’ll agree, and with respect, a cat that is mischievous and cat-like even in death, prompting deep thought.
Also, sewer workers and plumbers have cameras on bendable metal snake- like rods. Like the coil for unplugging a toilet, but with a camera. To look for blockage in a pipe, or, in this case, under a floor.
And i’m sorry for your cat. Good to hear she was old and loved.
Check warm places first, close to the furnace or heating ducts. One of Mom’s old cats was curled up underneath the furnace when she died. Cats like warm places even when healthy, and especially when they’re feeling unwell.
