Cat Trapped In Empty House

**lizbud** · 02-07-2006, 01:03 PM

While walking Maggie this morning we went down a side street
not far from my house.I heard meowing (loud & insistant) . Started
looking around & found the sounds coming from a house that has been
empty for a least a year. There's one basement window that has the
glass broken out halfway. That's probably where it got in. All these
windows are some distance from the floor of the basement. So I think
the cat got inside & now can't get out again. Don't know how long it's
been there, but I'm sure it's hungry & wants out. I called Animal Control
and am waiting for them now. The cat is white, long haired & looks like
it has a blue collar on.Please pray that ACC shows up soon or I might have
to just brake a window to let it out. Poor kitty.

**Catty1** · 02-07-2006, 01:31 PM

I once had a cat of mine go MISSING - and wandered out one day across the road. I lived in cottage country in Ontario - just on instinct, I called Tosca's name. I felt rather than heard a reply...and found the poor guy in the basement of a cottage! Guess the people had come and gone, and didn't realize there was a kitty there.

I actually 'broke' into the house through a basement window...went up, unlocked the door, and away we went!

Sounds like this kitty has a home, since he has a collar.

I hope Animal Control contacts whoever is in charge of the house, and gets that window boarded up. Hope kitty wasn't hurt!

Bless you for watching over the little critter.

**lizbud** · 02-07-2006, 06:11 PM

No response from Animal control . Called again this evening and they
remembered my report but couldn't say if an officer had gone out yet.
Will try again tomorrow morning. I did go back to the house to check
all around for any sign of a phone number, but there was none. I got
a better look at the cat from the front door which has a lot of glass
paines. He/she pressed his face up against the glass as I checked the
inside of the house. Thios does look like a stray that I've seen around
before & the collar appears to be a plastic flea collar.

Hope the
little one can hang on till tomorrow.

**Edwina's Secretary** · 02-07-2006, 06:34 PM

I sure hope animla control gets there soon. No chance of asking a neighbor if they know the owner of the house?

**lizbud** · 02-07-2006, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by Edwina's Secretary

I sure hope animla control gets there soon. No chance of asking a neighbor if they know the owner of the house?

Sara,

I did ask the guy who lives next to the house & he said he thinks the
owner lives outside of Indy. Doesn't know the guy or his phone number.

I'll try again in the morning, but if I have to break a window, the cat
will get out. I'll probably call the police & explain the problem if I don't
get any response from Animal Control in the morning. I'll find out how I
can get the cat out legally. Maybe suggest I'll be responsible for fixing
the darn window.

**kuhio98** · 02-07-2006, 08:10 PM

Due to my tragic experience with Animal Control, I'd go get the kitty and pay for the broken window. Because if they come and get the cat, it will be taken to the pound and if the owner doesn't find it with 3 days (in my area), it will probably be put to sleep. If you get the kitty, you can walk around the neighborhood, put up fliers, etc. and reunite this baby with his very worried owner.

**Karen** · 02-07-2006, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by lizbud

Sara,

I did ask the guy who lives next to the house & he said he thinks the
owner lives outside of Indy. Doesn't know the guy or his phone number.

I'll try again in the morning, but if I have to break a window, the cat
will get out. I'll probably call the police & explain the problem if I don't
get any response from Animal Control in the morning. I'll find out how I
can get the cat out legally. Maybe suggest I'll be responsible for fixing
the darn window.

Indiana has a property database online, but it is closed 10pm to 6 am for maintenance, and of course I thought of that now, at 10:30.

http://www.civicnet.net/property/

You may be able to get the name of who owns the house from there, and maybe some contact info. (Every city seems to be different, so I don;t know what info they'll actually have ...) But otherwise, if Animal Control doesn't guarantee they'll get someone over there tomorrow, I'd probably find the smallest window I could manage to break (so it'd be cheapest to replace) and go get the kitty, making sure to patch the window with plastic so they cannot claim extra weather damage or anything, and leave a note with your email address so they can contact you.

**Cinder & Smoke** · 02-07-2006, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by lizbud

I'll probably call the police & explain the problem
if I don't get any response from Animal Control in the morning.

I'll find out how I can get the cat out legally.

You're going to need a very Helpful Policeman or AC Officer ...
what you're thinking of doing is called "Breaking & Entering"!

See if someone can find a 2" x 4" or 2" x 6" board that's long enough to
go through the already broken window and reach the basement floor.
Nail some small pieces of wood across the big board every 6" to act like steps;
then slip your Kat Ladder into the basement and start Callin da Kat.

Might also help to open a can of Stinky Kat Food and put that at the TOP
of the improvised Kat Ladder.