Mu, one of my cats (which I got only a few days ago) is trapped under the kitchen sink. There’s a big hole in the wall under there that some apartment workmen made a few months ago to fix plumbing problems and somehow the cat got the cabinet door open and went in there. I can hear her crying and meowing.
No idea why the workmen didn’t close the hole up, we’ve been trying to get on them about it for weeks and they just never found the time. So now I have a trapped cat, who could possibly be hurt, and the maintenance is taking its dear, sweet time getting here. Sure, it’s seven am, but still, they have emergency maintenance that should be able to do something, but like I said, I called them an hour ago.
I also tried 911 and the non-emergency number…both said they can’t help me.
Have you tried opening a can of food and placing it near the hole? We did that with one of ours when they did something similar and eventually he came out just to eat.
Good luck though. Your kitty will be in my thoughts.
No, this cat is definitely trapped, she’s meowing like she’s hurt and the sink hole goes DOWN since I live on the second floor. Still waiting on maintenance.
Cat food. Wait. Call to kitteh. Wait some more. Don’t panic. Kitteh will do better in such a situation than you could; they’re built that way for a reason.
Well, maintenance came and said, basically, that the cat will come out when it wants to (which I don’t believe…I think the cat is hurt or trapped and couldn’t come out if it wanted to). The maintenance guy didn’t hear the cat meowing because the cat isn’t meowing anymore. We tried many times to get him to make a sound again but all is silent, and so there’s not much maintenance can do. I have no idea what to do now.
Beware of Doug, I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t work since I could hear the cat for a bit and it sounded hurt. It had a weak meow and now there’s nothing. sigh
There certainly IS something maintenance can do, you just have to make them do it. It might be worthwhile to point out to him that retrieving the cat while it’s alive is certainly not a more unpleasant task than waiting to do it until the neighbors start complaining about the smell.
Believe me, I am trying to get them to do something, but he is convinced the cat will come out when it’s good and ready and all arguing did was make him more adverse to do anything about it. I’m calling the Humane Society when it opens.
Another thing the maintenance guy says, that there’s no way the cat CAN be trapped with how it’s set up under the sink and between the wall, but if that’s the case, why did I hear the cat meowing faintly over and over for about an hour? It certainly SOUNDED like it was in distress and hurt…it wasn’t a regular meowing. I think, somehow, he’s wrong.
You might want to find the brightest light (like say a lamp with a high wattage bulb) near to the hole as safely possible. If the kitty is way back/down there, it might be dark enough for it to not know which way to go. Some light bouncing around down there might help. Also, if its a vertical drop, hang stuff down there like a sheet or long towel (but not blocking the hole/inside the wall) so it has something to get its claws into to climb back up/out).
I don’t have the tools (read: any) to do that and wouldn’t know where to begin. Maintenance guy verified that it’s a confined area; that the cat couldn’t have traveled, under there, to under another apartment or anything like that. He said it’s about 20 feet of just space that goes to my bathroom. He went on to say I should just wait 3-4 days and that the cat will probably come out on it’s own. When I said “In 3-4 days, the cat could be dead” he said “Nah, cats can live up to fifteen days or so”…Well, gee, that may be so but it’s not like I want to try to test that theory.
It just seems like nobody cares. Oh, and he said that if I get someone else to start tearing up the wall or if I do it myself that I’d be responsible for the damage and would have to pay for it. No idea how I’m to blame for this or at fault when the hole shouldn’t have been there in the first place (like I said, it was only there because maintenance, themselves, did plumbing work a few months ago and just never fixed/covered up the hole). That just really sucks.
Humane Society doesn’t seem to care either…they said the same thing: To wait three or four days and the cat will probably come out when he’s hungry. Fire Dept/Police/Animal Rescue all say to call maintenance.
So, really, all I can do is wait, which sucks. I wonder how long it will have to be before someone finally admits “okay, maybe the cat really is stuck/dead/hurt in there”. Only then it might be too late, which is even suckier.
If it’s how I’m picturing it, I don’t know why the kitty should be hurt. He meowed at first to be gotten out, then he fell asleep, ignoring your calls. I like the sheet and light ideas, and I would certainly keep trying to get maintenance to do something, but the just-wait plan has merit too. You know those furry little bastards will put you through hell sometimes, then come back all nonchalant.
I’m not dismissing your worry, because I’d sure fret myself to a frazzle if I were in your shoes. I just feel there’s a good chance your kitty’s going to be okay. Hoping to hear some good news soon!
That’s around the point that I would damage the maintenance guy.
Seriously, did you make the first hole in the wall? No. Did the maintenance people fix it in a timely fashion? No. Is it your fault the cat got in there? No. Is the maintenance person being helpful? No. Do you have good reason to be extremely angry? Yes.
This may not work, but call your Action News. This is just the kind of post-Christmas story they might jump on. If the news is involved, it will spur maintenance to action. Worth a shot, I’d say.
For what it’s worth - if the Humane Society said not to worry yet, you probably shouldn’t worry yet. These folks know what they’re about, and have no reason to downplay the situation if it really is a cause for immediate concern.
I would call the health and building inspectors and tell them that your landlord made a hole in the wall a few months ago, didn’t repair it and now your pet is trapped in the wall. Start making trouble for him.
I second the idea of putting a beach towel or something he can climb up on down the hole and making sure there is a light so he can see the exit. Make sure the towel attached to the pipe so he feels secure on it. I’d also attract his attention with yarn or a bell, something that will guide him to your direction. And delicious wet cat food that he can smell.