At approximately 10 a.m. there were sounds of scraping and slight thumping. Were there birds or squirrels above my bedroom on the brand-new roof?
The sounds continued and I pinpointed them to a lower location. Garage?
Me, shouting: Hey, dear daughter. Open the garage door and check for small, trapped animal(s), will ya.
DD, from her bedroom: Ahh.... mom, I think Kitty went inside the open floor vent.
Yes, curious young stupid Kitty noticed the uncovered opening, wiggled her way inside and continued her adventure by crawling into the ductwork tube. Damn. Turned off AC.
Could not see past 18 inches or so inside the tube even with the help of a flashlight. The tube had a diameter that could fit my balled-up little fist. How did her furry body fit in there? Can she breathe? Is she comfortable? Stuck? Where exactly is she? Note to self: do not flush toilet in case kitty gets spooked into crawling farther down the ductwork.
We called her name, jiggled her favorite toy, set out some food by the opening, left a small light on. Nothing. Napping, or already dead??
I made a frantic call to hubby who suggested opening all vents in the hopes that she'll come out of one of them. And, yes, he'll be right there.
I began a search for an HVAC ( Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) specialist. This led me to register at YELP and HomeAdvisor. I did the equivalent of sending out a mass distress call/email.
Most do not remove animals in ducts. Two suggested that I call the Fire Department. The animal shelter said to call a pest/vermin expert. One company will charge $89 just to come and figure out a solution. In response to my question to said company on previous experience, the answer was, "I can't say I've had this happen before but I do have a camera to look inside the ductwork. " Can we say: does not inspire much confidence?!!
I was down to 2 options:
A Temp Mechanical ... Louie came across on the phone as friendly, available, and had a willing, can-do attitude.
OR
All Animal Removal -- Robert has the fiber optic camera. Their specialty is extraction (dead or alive) of any animal, anywhere. Cost, $275 minimum.
Made a same-day appointment for 5 p.m.
Conclusion:
Much prayer went out to God for kitty's safety and the granting of the ability/brains to get out of a tight spot on her own. Six hours after her misadventures began, Kitty had had enough of her dark, safe spot and scooted out -- with much effort -- butt first like a breech baby. Thank You, Lord God, for hearing our cry for a downright miracle, a-la talking Donkey with Baalam in the OT!
Whew, just in time to cancel our appointment with All Animal Removal. Saved us mucho dinero. Covered the vent, turned on the a/c and flushed the toilets.
The end.
"There are just some things we can’t fix; we can’t change; we can’t manage. But we sure do try, don’t we?! We wrestle against our situations when God wants us to rest in Him. Rest is what you experience when you stop trying to fix your problem and fix your eyes on God instead.
Oh, Lord, that is what we need. Help us to fix our eyes on You and trust You to fix any problem we face. May Your will be done on earth, in our lives, as it is in heaven. Amen." (source F B )
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