This happened to me about a year ago when I lived in the city and only had a tiny bedsit to live in. The couple downstairs, who actually had a proper flat, had two wonderful cats. Charlie, especially, was very friendly and communicative (I would *meaow* and he would reply, much opposite to my own kitten Calvin who only purrs, and cries when he wants noodles) and he would often come see me in my room. Whenever I came home from work he would meet me in the hall and follow me to my room. I often left my door open to let him in when he wanted, thinking nothing could happen. How wrong I was.

One time Charlie came to see me and my boyfriend and inspected the room, as usual. I must have been cooking and taken something from the cupboard as the door was open. In went Charlie and I didn't think anything of it. Sometime later I closed the door thinking he'd be out, hiding somewhere else in the room.

Maybe 20 minutes later I heard a quiet cry... (meaow) and I couldn't figure out where the cat was. It sounded as if he wasn't in the room at all. I thought I must've been mistaken and heard the cat in the hall. Few minutes later I heard more crying and then I realised it was Charlie locked up in the cupboard. Except when I opened the door the cat was nowhere to be seen.

I had only recently moved in and didn't know what was in the back of the cupboard. There was a hole, just barely cat-sized (5x5, I think) on the back board. When the bedsit had been built, the landlord had obviously had trouble with the plumbing and I found out there actually was a 6-inch gap between the kitchen units and the wall, with a similar space between the unit base and the floor, leaving a small L shaped space between the wall, floor and the cupboard.

Charlie, had found such space so interesting that he had climbed in and couldn't get out. Every time I tried to put my had in the hole and pull him out he only panicked more and hid under the unit and the floor where I couldn't reach at all. I tried to tempt him out with some ham, but he didn't seem to be able to get out. Half an hour later Charlie was still stuck and crying, but avoiding every attempt to save him.

Eventually my fiance hit the back board off, pushed it against the wall, making a gap between cupboard floor and the wall and with some ham we managed to tempt Charlie near enough for me to grab him. I got a good hold of him, and he surely got a good hold of me too with his claws. But we got him out.

I thought Charlie would've run out by now but he casually sat down and probably would've stayed the night unless I hadn't taken him out and closed the door that night. After that I made sure Charlie's visits were quick and that I knew where he was, at all times.

Copyright © Sanna Popponen
February 23, 1998

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EDITOR'S NOTE: As all cat owners know, cats like to get inside of small dark areas. Please keep a close watch on your kitties to make sure that you don't accidentally lock them in cupboards and closets. In the above case Charlie was fortunate that Sanna and her fiance were able to locate him. Without their vigilance the consequences could quite easily have been tragic.