My cat is inside my neighbour’s wall cavity

[SerenityNowInsanityLater]

So, we’re presently a wrecking ball of anxiety and sadness as my kids and I wait to find out if we’ll ever hold our cat again.

He went out, two nights ago, at 2am. I’d been up preparing for a hearing (divorce). He was sitting at the back door, always an indication that he needs to go out. He’s out every night and home by 7am, sleeping on a patio chair.

He didn’t come home. Didn’t think much of it. Attended hearing (5 hours) and around 2pm asked my kids if they’d seen Gus. They hadn’t. DD had mentioned that she was aware that he hadn’t come to her room for daily snoozy snuggles.

I put out an alert on neighborhood watch and it turns out, he’d wandered into my neighbour’s house and looked utterly terrified to be there. She sent photos her painter had taken of my cat (homeowner was at work). They are having building works. Apparently he was hiding underneath a table, the painter tried to coax him out and grabbed him. The cat got totally spooked and they are pretty sure he ran into an opening of a newly built/plastered basement wall and climbed inside the cavity, they ‘think’. Their last sighting of him was in the wall’s opening climbing an electric cable. It’s all so grim.

I’ve gone over with food, talking to him, tapping, calling for him, chatting to him. I can see into the wall’s cavity. It’s an incredibly tight squeeze and this immediately scared me. The space is limited and the neighbour’s father in law built the wall and explained that the cat wouldn’t have much space to explore as it’s very limited and extremely tight.

There’s been no sound. Nothing. I heard nothing. Nobody’s heard a thing. Food has gone untouched. Fire Brigade has visited twice with thermal cameras and they’ve detected nothing both times (the space however is full of beams, cables, and insulation which could inhibit detection). RSPCA said I’ve basically done all that I can.

What more can be done? What’s crazy is he’s such a timid cat. None of the neighbours really know him because, although he wanders, he’s not the Six Dinner Sid our ginger cat is, visiting all and sundry like relatives at Christmas. Our little timid boy isn’t like that. He is extremely shy of humans. He looked absolutely terrified in the photos the painter shared. I hate to think the worst.

But what now, 38 hours on? 😢

Ask for the wall to be removed and offer to pay.
If it were my house I would feel 'responsable' even though it's just an unfortunate accident. It's grim and I apologise but the last thing they want is a dead animal in their wall (smell, leaking, pests) I'm so sorry to even bring that up but it could be the bargaining chip that allows them to tear the wall down and get that cat out of there!

Wanting update! So invested in cat story!!! 🥰

Oh what a worry. Our rescue cat went straight under the kitchen units and wouldnt come out. After several days we removed the plinth and were able to grab her - but I'm not sure what would have happened otherwise.

I really hope you get him out..... 😯

Hi/ was he old/ill? If not, I don't think he's in there. The FB would have detected him if so. I think he's got out so hopefully he'll wander back!

A chip is not a tracker

The firebrigade will get him out. You may have to pay to have the wall and plastering re-done.

Oh good luck!
And keep us posted please

OMG I'm hoping for a positive update from you op

@AliceS1994 🙏 for a positive update…

I've yet to meet a cat that doesn't come running if you shake treats and whistle high then low. Hoping they're not stuck or injured.

My cat only has three legs but can usually climb anywhere eventually.

Please meet my girl. She cares not for treats. She turns her nose up at Dreamies. If you want her to come out of hiding you start watering the plant. She loves running water.

My old cat's idea of treats was Brekkies or dried fish. Every cat has it's weakness. Mine current one prefers Felix cat treats and isn't really a fan of Dreamies either. She does come running if you shout "Soup" though 😂. Yours clearly prefers Spa Treatments to food.

@SerenityNowInsanityLater any news on your darling Gus? 🤞🤞🤞🤞

A very spooked, scared cat will probably lose its appetite for a day or two so wouldn’t respond to food initially. However he’s now been trapped for a couple of days so may have calmed down a little and regaining appetite. He should still be alive at this stage but it’s very important that he doesn’t get dehydrated so do place a bowl of water in the hole. If you place some tempting favourite food in the hole at night he may venture to eat when all is quiet. You would then at least know he is definitely there ! Follow up the following night by camping outside the hole with more food. Call him and talk ti him. If you are patient, and if he is there , he could well have the courage to come to you. If the food continues to be ignored you will need to assume that he has escaped or moved to a different area of the building . It does sound a desperate situation but please don’t give up. I’m sure you won’t. !

My cat did this a few years ago, was in neighbours house for 3 days & they kept saying she wasn't there (we knew how nosey she is & as they'd just moved in we thought she'd be there somewhere). She'd burrowed into a wall in the bathroom trying to find a way out.
Meanwhile we were beside ourselves with worry, putting posters around & notices on social media.
The neighbour went to the toilet then said she was staring at him out of the hole in the wall, he brought her back very hungry.
They don't go far away, but I'd persist with the neighbours & ask them to remove wall at this stage because cat can't stay in the walls. Ask them to leave food out too?
Someone said get a drainage person out to look with long camera which is a great idea.

You need to contact a builder asap to assess and deal with the situation. Put a message out on your local Facebook page if you don't know anyone, you'll be surprised how quickly people will respond. You can't leave your poor cat there indefinitely.

If you read the op you'd see the fire service have been out twice already

This.
I used to do cat fostering and this is what happened to one of my charges when she went to her forever home. The cat rescue charity loaned a trap, put it out overnight and the cat was caught. Very likely the cat has left the cavity or is able to. Good luck and let us know what happens!

OP, please please update us. I'm hoping with all my heart you find your cat safe and well.

Come home sweet Gus! Hope we hear some happy news today. Please come home sweet kitty.

Need an update !

Contact the fire brigade and RSPCA they both have the ability and remit to rescue cats from such situations.

Any news OP?

🤦🏻‍♀️

I hope Gus has come home! If not, do you have a local cats Facebook group you could post in?

We got our cats at the end of last year and I joined one - I’m amazed at the dedication of the members to rescuing cats. They’re the loveliest people with a huge amount of collective knowledge, they would be my first port of call. They can also help you check the surrounding areas.

When we were renovating last year, I left the door open and came back to a cat in our house. I startled it and it jumped into a hole in the floor! My partner tried to put a camera down there and called/offered bribes to get it out. The cat was so still he said I’d imagined it but when we moved away and sat silently (scowling at each other because we both thought we were right) for a while, a v quiet flash of black and white went past and out the door!!

He might have already escaped, he’d be so quick your neighbour/the builder could miss it, or he might come out if your neighbour leaves the internal doors and loft hatch open whilst they go out with a camera set up to see if he does?