Another look into my life
=======================

A couple weeks ago, a firned of mine had a kitten which fell into the
heater duct. She called the fire department, who came out and took the
duct apart. And left it in pieces. I got to put it back together.

Well, she called again. Thinks a different cat went downt he duct
(from second floor bathroom, no less). I'm out the door to rescue the
cat. ths time without fail we screw some covers over the duct, to
cover the vent. Or maybe staple some screen or something like that.

======================
Figuring this was another one of the same, I took apart the same duct
I'd put back together the last time. No signs of cat, in the seven
inch round duct. I followed that back to the furnace, there was a
patch piece of metal over where there used to be a humidifier. So, I
started to take that apart. I looked in as best possible, no cat. Went
out to the truck and got my miror, and used that to look into the heat
exchanger, and back through the duct. No cat.

Gwen asked if the cat might be in the heater. Not likely, but I did
pull the cover panel off. No cat by the burners. I pulled the lower
panel, which exposed the circuit board, and the blower fan. Look in
with my mini mag, and surprise!

Cat looking back at me.... and blast, I didn't have my camera with me.
That was a total Kodak moment.

I talked to the cat for a moment, and Gwen came over. She was pleased
the cat was still alive. She reached in, and pulled the cat out. They
went upstairs to get the cat a drink of water, and some to eat.

I put the furnace covers back on, and also the duct back together. I'd
brought some screen wire to staple over the vents. And screwed shut a
part of the vent that was open, in the back. Hope not to do this
again.

Stormin Mormon wrote:
Another look into my life
=======================

A couple weeks ago, a firned of mine had a kitten which fell into the
heater duct. She called the fire department, who came out and took the
duct apart. And left it in pieces. I got to put it back together.

Well, she called again. Thinks a different cat went downt he duct
(from second floor bathroom, no less). I'm out the door to rescue the
cat. ths time without fail we screw some covers over the duct, to
cover the vent. Or maybe staple some screen or something like that.

======================
Figuring this was another one of the same, I took apart the same duct
I'd put back together the last time. No signs of cat, in the seven
inch round duct. I followed that back to the furnace, there was a
patch piece of metal over where there used to be a humidifier. So, I
started to take that apart. I looked in as best possible, no cat. Went
out to the truck and got my miror, and used that to look into the heat
exchanger, and back through the duct. No cat.

Gwen asked if the cat might be in the heater. Not likely, but I did
pull the cover panel off. No cat by the burners. I pulled the lower
panel, which exposed the circuit board, and the blower fan. Look in
with my mini mag, and surprise!

Cat looking back at me.... and blast, I didn't have my camera with me.
That was a total Kodak moment.

I talked to the cat for a moment, and Gwen came over. She was pleased
the cat was still alive. She reached in, and pulled the cat out. They
went upstairs to get the cat a drink of water, and some to eat.

I put the furnace covers back on, and also the duct back together. I'd
brought some screen wire to staple over the vents. And screwed shut a
part of the vent that was open, in the back. Hope not to do this
again.



Hmmm,
What kinda house has that kinda duct work? I have 3 cats in the house.
Will never happen here. Sounds like a unsafe house there wherever that
is. Buy the cat a tread mill, LOL!

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
Another look into my life
=======================

A couple weeks ago, a firned of mine had a kitten which fell into the
heater duct. She called the fire department, who came out and took the
duct apart. And left it in pieces. I got to put it back together.

Well, she called again.

Just to entertain us, can you describe what kind of covers were on the vents
before you improved them?

You better use Chicken wire so the Chickens dont fall in. You think she
would have learned the first time.

If this was not true, it would be funny. If you ever encounter
this problem again, bring a spray bottle of cold tap water.
When my cat gets somewhere I don't want her to be, a spray of
cold water will get her to move and move very fast.

Dick

Most of the vents have old metal grilles. Rather weighty. The ones in
question had no grilles at all.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
...
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
Another look into my life
=======================

A couple weeks ago, a firned of mine had a kitten which fell into
the
heater duct. She called the fire department, who came out and took
the
duct apart. And left it in pieces. I got to put it back together.

Well, she called again.

Just to entertain us, can you describe what kind of covers were on the
vents
before you improved them?

Since the cat was in the blower compartment, I coulda squirted and it
woulda not been able to do much about it. But I'm not quite that
sadistic. I just arrived after it fell into the furnace (plenty time
to let eyes adjust to the dark) and then shined a flash light in its
face.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Dick Adams" wrote in message
...
If this was not true, it would be funny. If you ever encounter
this problem again, bring a spray bottle of cold tap water.
When my cat gets somewhere I don't want her to be, a spray of
cold water will get her to move and move very fast.

Dick

YEs, it does sound unsafe. She (the human) has done what she can to
seal off the ducts. I helped a bit, with screen mesh and staple gun.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
news:_oJ7h.339682$R63.322748@pd7urf1no...
Hmmm,
What kinda house has that kinda duct work? I have 3 cats in the house.
Will never happen here. Sounds like a unsafe house there wherever that
is. Buy the cat a tread mill, LOL!

I had a hamster in the furnace return air line. he was successfully
recovered

How big were the holes in these grills?


"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
Most of the vents have old metal grilles. Rather weighty. The ones in
question had no grilles at all.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
.

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
...
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
Another look into my life
=======================

A couple weeks ago, a firned of mine had a kitten which fell into
the
heater duct. She called the fire department, who came out and took
the
duct apart. And left it in pieces. I got to put it back together.

Well, she called again.

Just to entertain us, can you describe what kind of covers were on the
vents
before you improved them?

Stormin Mormon wrote:
Another look into my life
=======================

A couple weeks ago, a firned of mine had a kitten which fell into the
heater duct. She called the fire department, who came out and took the
duct apart. And left it in pieces. I got to put it back together.

Well, she called again. Thinks a different cat went downt he duct
(from second floor bathroom, no less). I'm out the door to rescue the
cat. ths time without fail we screw some covers over the duct, to
cover the vent. Or maybe staple some screen or something like that.

======================
Figuring this was another one of the same, I took apart the same duct
I'd put back together the last time. No signs of cat, in the seven
inch round duct. I followed that back to the furnace, there was a
patch piece of metal over where there used to be a humidifier. So, I
started to take that apart. I looked in as best possible, no cat. Went
out to the truck and got my miror, and used that to look into the heat
exchanger, and back through the duct. No cat.

Gwen asked if the cat might be in the heater. Not likely, but I did
pull the cover panel off. No cat by the burners. I pulled the lower
panel, which exposed the circuit board, and the blower fan. Look in
with my mini mag, and surprise!

Cat looking back at me.... and blast, I didn't have my camera with me.
That was a total Kodak moment.

I talked to the cat for a moment, and Gwen came over. She was pleased
the cat was still alive. She reached in, and pulled the cat out. They
went upstairs to get the cat a drink of water, and some to eat.

I put the furnace covers back on, and also the duct back together. I'd
brought some screen wire to staple over the vents. And screwed shut a
part of the vent that was open, in the back. Hope not to do this
again.

This sounds like the reverse of the "cat trapped in tree" conundrum.

Inasmuch as no one has ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree, they evidently
find their own way down.

What do you think would have happened if you'd done nothing?

On Sun, 19 Nov 2006 00:51:27 GMT, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

YEs, it does sound unsafe. She (the human) has done what she can to
seal off the ducts. I helped a bit, with screen mesh and staple gun.

Are they just bare ended pipes or what? Why dont she just put
registers on them? You can get them for under 5 bucks for the cheapie
ones. It's no major expense, and not hard to put in a few screws to
fasten them. Sure beats losing your pet, or running up a vet bill
that would cost far more than the registers. Some people just have no
common sense or brains. I think she should find a new home for that
poor cat if she cant afford to make the house safe for it. If the
humane society finds out, she could be charged with animal abuse, and
the fine would cost many times the cost of registers, plus she will
have her cat taken away. I hope she dont have children..... I think I
would have called child protective services and/or the humane socirty
by now. On the first instance there was an excuse (called stupidity),
but not the second time.

On Sun, 19 Nov 2006 00:51:26 GMT, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

Since the cat was in the blower compartment, I coulda squirted and it
woulda not been able to do much about it. But I'm not quite that
sadistic. I just arrived after it fell into the furnace (plenty time
to let eyes adjust to the dark) and then shined a flash light in its
face.

And a few minutes later the cat would have been history from
electricution or getting chopped up in the blower fan. What a sad
state of affairs. If that happened, I'd be tempted to shove the owner
in the fan. I like animals and this is purely abuse, and just reading
it really ****es me off.

Stormin Mormon, 11/18/2006,2:31:09 PM, wrote:

Another look into my life
=======================

A couple weeks ago, a firned of mine had a kitten which fell into the
heater duct. She called the fire department, who came out and took the
duct apart. And left it in pieces. I got to put it back together.

Well, she called again. Thinks a different cat went downt he duct
(from second floor bathroom, no less). I'm out the door to rescue the
cat. ths time without fail we screw some covers over the duct, to
cover the vent. Or maybe staple some screen or something like that.

======================
Figuring this was another one of the same, I took apart the same duct
I'd put back together the last time. No signs of cat, in the seven
inch round duct. I followed that back to the furnace, there was a
patch piece of metal over where there used to be a humidifier. So, I
started to take that apart. I looked in as best possible, no cat. Went
out to the truck and got my miror, and used that to look into the heat
exchanger, and back through the duct. No cat.

Gwen asked if the cat might be in the heater. Not likely, but I did
pull the cover panel off. No cat by the burners. I pulled the lower
panel, which exposed the circuit board, and the blower fan. Look in
with my mini mag, and surprise!

Cat looking back at me.... and blast, I didn't have my camera with me.
That was a total Kodak moment.

I talked to the cat for a moment, and Gwen came over. She was pleased
the cat was still alive. She reached in, and pulled the cat out. They
went upstairs to get the cat a drink of water, and some to eat.

I put the furnace covers back on, and also the duct back together. I'd
brought some screen wire to staple over the vents. And screwed shut a
part of the vent that was open, in the back. Hope not to do this
again.

That could have been one hot p*ssy...!!!

On Sat, 18 Nov 2006 19:31:09 GMT, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:


Gwen asked if the cat might be in the heater. Not likely, but I did
pull the cover panel off. No cat by the burners. I pulled the lower

I think it very unlikely the cat would be in the theater. There are
very few movies suitable for cats these days, and most cats can't
afford to buy tickets for the dramatic stage.

"HeyBub" wrote in message
...
Stormin Mormon wrote:
Another look into my life
=======================
(snip)
.. Hope not to do this
again.

This sounds like the reverse of the "cat trapped in tree" conundrum.

Inasmuch as no one has ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree, they evidently
find their own way down.

What do you think would have happened if you'd done nothing?
More like a 'cat down the smooth-sided well' problem. I've had birds in the
furnace before, in spaces I could have sworn there was no access to. Never a
cat. The cat's owner sounds like a bit of a flake- how hard is it to buy and
install some damn heater outlet covers?

aem sends...

Stormin Mormon wrote:

Another look into my life
=======================

A couple weeks ago, a firned of mine had a kitten which fell into the
heater duct. She called the fire department, who came out and took the
duct apart. And left it in pieces. I got to put it back together.

Well, she called again. Thinks a different cat went downt he duct
(from second floor bathroom, no less). I'm out the door to rescue the
cat. ths time without fail we screw some covers over the duct, to
cover the vent. Or maybe staple some screen or something like that.

======================
Figuring this was another one of the same, I took apart the same duct
I'd put back together the last time. No signs of cat, in the seven
inch round duct. I followed that back to the furnace, there was a
patch piece of metal over where there used to be a humidifier. So, I
started to take that apart. I looked in as best possible, no cat. Went
out to the truck and got my miror, and used that to look into the heat
exchanger, and back through the duct. No cat.

Gwen asked if the cat might be in the heater. Not likely, but I did
pull the cover panel off. No cat by the burners. I pulled the lower
panel, which exposed the circuit board, and the blower fan. Look in
with my mini mag, and surprise!

Cat looking back at me.... and blast, I didn't have my camera with me.
That was a total Kodak moment.

I talked to the cat for a moment, and Gwen came over. She was pleased
the cat was still alive. She reached in, and pulled the cat out. They
went upstairs to get the cat a drink of water, and some to eat.

I put the furnace covers back on, and also the duct back together. I'd
brought some screen wire to staple over the vents. And screwed shut a
part of the vent that was open, in the back. Hope not to do this
again.

A few years ago I heard a scratching sound coming from the heating ducts
in the house. I went to the basement and listened by the furnace. The
sound was coming from inside the heat exchanger! I opened the draft
regulator door on the flue pipe and placed a 1x6 board from the door to
the top of the washing machine about six feet away. I also opened the
outside basement door. I retreated from the furnace area and waited. A
few minutes went by and a very dirty gray squirrel poked his head out of
the draft door. He cautiously started down the board and on to the
washing machine. Then he got a glimpse of me and panicked. He jumped off
the washing machine and ran out the basement door. I went upstairs and
watched out a window as the new 'black' squirrel tried to mingle with
his gray peers. They must have thought he was a mutant since we don't
have natural black squirrels in the area. I learned from this experience
that it's a good idea to have some kind of screen or animal proof cap on
your chimney.

Lucky it wasn't a bird. I coulda had shredded tweet. It was in the fan
blower cabinet, after all.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"badgolferman" wrote in message
...

That could have been one hot p*ssy...!!!

Since the only way out of the blower cabinet was either through the
fan (and the heat exchanger) or up a 8 foot vertical run of return air
trunk.....

eventually the cat would have dehydrated and starved to death. In
about two days. Or three. Or four. After that, we'd have had the smell
of drying and rotting cat for about the next year.

Incidentally, my Dad told me many years ago that he had seen a dead
cat in a tree. The cat was wedged in the fork of a tree, where it had
aparently been trying to jump from one place to another. It was there
for many weeks, increasing stages of decay.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"HeyBub" wrote in message
...

This sounds like the reverse of the "cat trapped in tree" conundrum.

Inasmuch as no one has ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree, they
evidently
find their own way down.

What do you think would have happened if you'd done nothing?

Only if the movie is rated "mm" for mega-meow.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"mm" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 18 Nov 2006 19:31:09 GMT, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:


Gwen asked if the cat might be in the heater. Not likely, but I did
pull the cover panel off. No cat by the burners. I pulled the lower

I think it very unlikely the cat would be in the theater. There are
very few movies suitable for cats these days, and most cats can't
afford to buy tickets for the dramatic stage.

She's not at all mechanically minded. She did try to cover the outlets
with cardboard and duct tape, though.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

wrote in message
...

More like a 'cat down the smooth-sided well' problem. I've had birds
in the
furnace before, in spaces I could have sworn there was no access to.
Never a
cat. The cat's owner sounds like a bit of a flake- how hard is it to
buy and
install some damn heater outlet covers?

aem sends...

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
She's not at all mechanically minded. She did try to cover the outlets
with cardboard and duct tape, though.

How old is this person?

Mid fifties.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
...
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
She's not at all mechanically minded. She did try to cover the
outlets
with cardboard and duct tape, though.

How old is this person?

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
...
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
She's not at all mechanically minded. She did try to cover the
outlets
with cardboard and duct tape, though.

How old is this person?


Mid fifties.


Just to make sure I'm really clear about this - her heat vents were
uncovered, and she somehow thought this was normal? How is that possible???
I mean, that should've been fixed within 2 days of moving into the house?

Why were there no covers?

I have had birds in the hot water tank flue, chimney cap added.

found a dead mouse once its tail stuck between 2 pieces of romex,
apparently it had gotten stuck...

mice in the house, chipmunk in the kitchen, bat in house, wildlife
intrudes occasionally.....

On 20 Nov 2006 08:30:49 -0800, "
wrote:

I have had birds in the hot water tank flue, chimney cap added.

found a dead mouse once its tail stuck between 2 pieces of romex,
apparently it had gotten stuck...

mice in the house, chipmunk in the kitchen, bat in house, wildlife
intrudes occasionally.....

Possum got into the garage while I was away; must have got stuck
between two file cabinets -- smelled so horrible I didn't dare remove
the -- uh-- you don't want to know - called the animal shelter; they
came out and removed it. I can't get out of my mind what an awful,
slow death that poor animal went through.