Wilbur & Milo almost got stuck in the air conditioning unit!!

This happened yesterday, but I'm still not over it. So bear with me.

My roommate came home from work last night and the cats did not meet her at the door. (first clue something is wrong...) She goes upstairs and the closet door was open; this is a gutted-out closet that houses the central air conditioning unit and has the long tubes that send the air into other vents. She looks in, and NO CATS. She calls and calls. NO CATS.

After running all over the house calling and searching, she goes back to the closet and opens it again. And in the dark, there sits Wilbur....COVERED in dust, soot and who knows what else. A little piece of insulation was even sticking in his fur! She pulls him out and starts calling for Milo...no Milo. She looks away, looks back, AND THERE'S MILO. Totally gray now, covered in dirt and gunk. It was just amazing that she had looked in there initially and she couldn't see anything, but then they just reappear like in a magician's closet.

OMG guys........when I came home from work and heard this story I just burst in tears. My roommate had several glasses of wine to recover! What if they had been stuck?!? And who knows if they ATE any of the dirt/soot in there! We said a prayer in thanks that the boys were OK, but this has to be the biggest scare I've ever had as a meowmy. If I had been Stephanie (my roommate) and was the one to discover this...I would have died.

And this closet door used to close cleanly...now, apparently, little furry paws can reach under the door crack and bang the door until it unlatches. So I bought an eye hook combo and screwed that into the door and frame. If Wilbur and Milo find a way to climb the wall and unhook the hook, then I'll just have to check myself into the loony bin and call it a day.

Wilbur and Milo got baths last night (NOT FUN!!) and they are STILL DIRTY! Wilbur's white mittens are still dark gray and I still can't tell where Milo's gray facial markings end and his dirt begins! I'm taking the boys to the groomer's this week and they're really going to get scrubbed down. Every time I see Wilbur's dirty gray feet I just want to . I just obsess over what could have happened.

Sorry for the long post/venting session. My mother blew me off when I tried to unload on her, but I knew you all would understand.

So all is well for Wilbur and Milo...a bit dirty still, but unharmed. Except for me. I think I lost a few years off my life.

Oh no!! that would have been very scary!! Is there anyway that you could cover over the area that they got into? (aside from locking the door?)

I think you should bathe them more so they get used to it depending on their age. It's good that they were rescued maybe you should shut that room so it's off limits to them. http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/ima...ilies/wink.gif

I would have been horrified too! Where they in air conditioning duct work? If so it must have been like a big fun dusty kitty maze to them.
Maybe stick a sign on the door to remind anyone else that opens it to make sure it's thoroughly closed and latched?

On the upside, I think they were telling you it was time to get someone to clean in there.

could you cover the opening with chicken wire, so incase they got in the closet, they wouldn't enter the air-conditioner?
I always worry about my heating vent covers coming off and a cat getting down into the vents and furnace.

As an aside, you may consider having your landlord clean out the air conditioner vents (costs about $160) as it is unhealthy to have dirty ducts. You can tell him you KNOW first hand from your cats that they are filthy!

Originally Posted by Fred&Nermal

As an aside, you may consider having your landlord clean out the air conditioner vents (costs about $160) as it is unhealthy to have dirty ducts. You can tell him you KNOW first hand from your cats that they are filthy!

Click to expand...

Amen! They are supposed to come once a year (in the spring) to clean the ducts, but they do not clean in this closet area. I'll probably have to get one of those shop vacs or something and do it myself...

What I think happened was that they crawled behind the main unit where my roommate could not see. Even though the tubing, etc. was there, it would have been impossible to actually get inside. They were probably around the back or under the unit itself. I'm still too freaked out to go inside the closet myself to check it out.

But that hook latch is on that door baby! And I just bought the hook tonight. This morning before I left for work, I put a 36-count box of Pepsi in front of the door to stop prying paws from pulling the door open again. Would you believe the case of Pepsi was slightly askew when I got home?

Wilbur and Milo have had several baths before (to answer Panther Pride's comment), but this was definitely a "hard core" bath and they didn't appreciate it. But when I take Wilbur to the groomer, she gushes about how sweet and accommodating he is. Go figure!

Oh goodness! What a scare! I would have been upset too! I'm glad your roomate found them and all is ok now