Cat stuck down an air duct ... help!

[giddyupgo]

Here's Frankie, and just in case you're curious ... here's the hole she went down, too. I took about a billion pictures of the inside of our ducting in the hope I'd see some cat eyes shining back at me! 

frankie.jpg

• giddyupgo
• Oct 8, 2015

ducting.jpg

• giddyupgo
• Oct 8, 2015

 

[junglecat]

Awww, Frankie is adorable! I'm glad that everything worked out in the end. It looks dark and scary down that duct!

 

[artiemom]

Frankie is so cute....You can see the mischief in her eyes!  I think you are going to many 'experiences' with her!!!

The vent looks so dark and scary. I am surprised you were able to see her at all!! 

Thank God it turned out well.....

 

[kntrygrl256]

 
Frankie is so cute....You can see the mischief in her eyes!  I think you are going to many 'experiences' with her!!!

The vent looks so dark and scary. I am surprised you were able to see her at all!! 

Thank God it turned out well.....

That's the first thing I said when I saw her picture LOL.

I just read through this thread and I could imagine the fear you were having for her. Cats are known to be industrialists and can get into some of the craziest situations. I'm glad it ended on a positive note.

She definitely does have a cheeky look about her.

 

[hof123]

We adopted our cat last week and she has been settling in very well, but she loves small spaces such as the area behind the washing machine and under our bed. I have no idea what my 10 year old son was thinking, but he removed the cover from the floor vent, and the cat went into the ducting.

For a while I could hear her meowing and scrabbling around in there, but then she went completely silent. I think she must have climbed way down into the ductwork where she can't hear me anymore.

It is usually quite easy to get her to come out of small spaces by calling her, but this time ... I'm at a loss. I actually called a HVAC guy to come out here in a couple of hours to get her out, but I'm afraid it will be expensive. On the other hand, I don't know what the ductwork is like under the house or if it's even possible for her to get back out once she drops down the vertical parts of the duct work. I tried putting some stinky cat food at the mouth of the ducts, I tried opening up other vents, I tried walking around the outside of the house calling through the outside vents and I've just heard nothing but silence.

Should I have the HVAC guy come or wait it out? I really feel like she's too far away to hear me calling her, or she would have come, and I'm afraid if I just wait it out she's going to become stressed and then be a lot harder to retrieve. Any advice?

 

[hof123]

I saw your post today. I have a similar situation. Any advices? Pls help. Thx.

 

[hof123]

NewI saw your post today. I have a similar situation. Any advices? Pls help. Thx

 

[catlover73]

Hoff welcome to TCS and I am sorry you had to join us under these circumstances. This is a really old thread you are replying. You can certainly try the tips mentioned in this thread since the original poster had success getting their cat out of the vent. You can start your own thread in the same forum by clicking the post new thread button at the top of the forum. It would be better to start a new thread describing the current situation for your cat so that members that are currently active can offer you advice. I do not have experience with this situation but wanted to let you know someone saw your post and cares about what you are going through.

 

[basscat]

When one of ours was little, he ran into a 4" drain pipe that runs under the patio. (most hvac ductwork is at least 6").
I knew the pipe was too small for him to turn around in, and the distance too far for him to continue through. The ONLY thing I could think of was to tape a very "hooky" fishing lure to something long enough to reach him, and....Well, it was the lesser of two evils. (squirrels have gotten in this pipe and not been able to get out).
As I sat there, thinking about it, giving the situation some time. I looked over and here he comes! That little turd had backed himself right back out of it.

Now, the problem with most ductwork is screws (the inside of the ductwork will have sharp screws where the sections are screwed together). The good part is, these sections can be unscrewed for access.
If your cat can move in the ductwork, he can get out on his own.
If he's stuck? Then, no matter how difficult or expensive the job? It MUST be done now. You cannot just say "that's that" and hope for the best.
You better figure something out NOW. Spend the time and money now and save the cat. Because the alternative is far worse (no cat and the removal/cleanup expense will be considerably more).
You just cannot have a dead animal of any kind in your ductwork.