kitten lost in the wall

helpangel

Active Member
Wow need board JUJU in the worst way, whether you rattle beads or pray I could really use anyone who has a moment to send Tiny Taz some good thoughts and positive energy.

She's cute as all get out but totally feral (look don't touch). Was last seen Wednesday night and the other cats have kind of directed me to one corner of the basement. After moving boxes noticed 3 holes in wall, heard her sneeze come from what had to be inside that wall.

My gut says grab a crowbar, but reality tells me I don't own this wall (rental).

Nancy
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
Praying very hard. Call your landlord. It's better to remove part of the wall while she's alive than remove it if she's passed away.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Aw, Nancy, you are so kind to those feral furbabies. I hope you can find a way to get to this baby and rescue her. Agree about calling the landlord. You know him best, but he could help you a lot. Keep us animal lovers updated.
 

helpangel

Active Member
We used my son's cell phone and know which section of wall she is in, looking up at us seemed fine just bored. The 2X4's form like a little 4X18 inch cell no place for her to go but up & out. Oh it's not one of those 3 openings its a 4th smaller one the only one I didn't have sheets/towels fed into. Nailed a sheet ladder in on that one with a little tuna at the top and left the area; nice box trap waiting loaded with tuna & turkey waiting for her when she climbs out. Now its a matter of waiting if she doesn't climb out within the hour I will go after her and know where to make hole that won't injure her but can reach her.

I do need to call the landlord I want back Chomper's big dog kennel to set up an apartment for this little fur monster until I can get her in to be fixed, this will be her 3rd time lost in my house. The other 2 times she was just hiding this time she is really trapped.

The biggest mistake I make with these cats is feeding them too much; there is food available all the time. I need to go to feeding a couple times a day and only what they need and whistle when I feed them. Then they all come running at feeding time and can count and assess everyone at once. If I ever needed to evacuate these cats in an emergency I could never round them all up fast enough the way I do it now.

Though extra food at the outside feeding station makes it so new arrivals get welcomed by the colony so I will have to think about that one some more. I got a new arrival living on my porch right now that her owner has posted at our grocery store soon as I got Tiny under control gonna put the trap out there and get her back home. I'm half mile from the vet's office where she got away from her owner on her path back home (gotta make sure enough food that she sticks around because she would have about 5 more miles to travel on her own) I haven't called them yet don't want to get their hopes up until I got her in the trap.

Thanks everyone for the good thoughts we found her (the hardest part) its just a matter of getting her out of there now.

Nancy
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Nancy, definitely you want her out of there before she starves to death. As it is, it will smell when she urinates.
I had a cat stuck in our wall once. I thought it was a possum and called a neighbor to bring his crowbar, since it was in my house and it smelled to high heaven.
It had gone into the garage, then into the cupboards, over the 2X4s in the ceiling, and then fell inside one of our house walls. We patched up the garage cupboards pronto!
The cat lived and ran home, down the street. I saw it months later, and it wouldn't budge more than 2 ft from the front door of its own house. :)
Best of luck!
 

helpangel

Active Member
thanks everyone for your good thoughts, WE GOT HER! had to knock a small hole in the wall but she is safe... cold, hungry & filthy but safe.

Nancy
 

helpangel

Active Member
Wish it was a matter of sealing a couple holes that whole basement the walls don't come up to the floorboards; I don't want the cats down there at all (kids need to learn how to keep a door shut).

At least the way I labeled this post if anyone on the boards ever gets into this situation the search will pull this thread up and give them some idea's, it was my son's reading my post on the feral cat caregiver site calling out for a snake camera (like a plumber uses) or something to sense heat behind the wall that made him think of using the camera phone and flashlight.

Feeding sheet/towel "ladders" down into the holes so cat can climb out is a good idea but I didn't have them down the correct holes. The crack she went thru to fall down in there was only about 2 1/2 inches with- a wire running across it (was surprised she fit to fall in) there was no way for her to make the angle to get back out even when she climbed up the sheet to the top (which she did when I was cutting that hole) watching me thru the crack but couldn't fit her head thru so like I said still not sure how she got in there.

Now that it's over with I can laugh about Tiny's adventure but never again do I want to spend days with that morbid fear that one of my purrbabies is gonna die before I can find it. First rule is do no harm and I didn't go to the work of trapping, nursing it (and all the others) thru the upper respiratory infection it brought in here, treating its fleas & worms to have this poor little thing die inside a wall alone. Over a month and she's not quite 3 Lbs. yet.

Until I can get that dog cage back she confined in my bedroom, right now curled up in a group of 5 on my bed. That's new (her cuddling with the others) and it looks like my other cats have finally accepted her. Since her rescue she seems to have figured out I'm not the enemy, she sniffed a finger offered to her without slapping it today. I know it doesn't sound like a big accomplishment (cat not slapping after over a month working with it) but when working with feral cats need to use baby steps and there is no too slow. If you go too fast it will scare the cat and you go back to the beginning.

Thanks again everyone for your good thoughts and prayers I truly believe someone sent me an angel that helped me find that cat.

Nancy
 

helpangel

Active Member
I didn't have the gut's to admit it but as of Thursday morning that cat was lose in my house again. Did everything in my power to keep her confined to my room but woke up Thursday to basement door open and no kitten in my room. Must have gotten out when went to bathroom.

We got her back in the box trap tonight and landlord said I can get chomper's cage back as long as need it... so until I get it this little fur monster in that cage she's staying on a leash or in a carrier, I'm sick of worrying myself sick over her. Ugh no good deed goes unpunished but wondering if I interfered with her destiny by keeping her alive. (stuck in wall - wondering if she is too stupid to live at this point?) Have we all been praying for a lost cause?

Nancy
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Well, the cat that got stuck in our wall came back to the house for several days and almost got under the house. I completely understand what you mean by "too stupid to live." !!!
 
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