Help Needed - Cats Locked In

My mother and step-father are on a cruise and asked my husband and me to look in on their 2 cats.
Problem is, after a break-in a few months ago they changed their locks and we all somehow forgot to get my husband and me the new key.

So, now their cats are locked in the house and we can't get in. Mom & S-D usually fill a big feeder thing, but they left about two days ago, so the cats are probably just about out of food, maybe water.

I've tried reaching them on the ship, but my husband and I have cell phones only and the international number doesn't work with it. The toll free number to charge to a credit card is also flaking out - may have something to do with my using a cell phone. Even if we connected with them, what could they do?

Any suggestions?

not exactly a skill a middle class suburban girl learns

Do they have a travel agent? The agent might be able to reach them on the ship. Or you could call the cruise line and explain the problem and see if there is some alternate way to call shore- to- ship.

My mom says that, for Carnival Cruise lines at least, she has been able to call shore- to- ship using a credit card from a pay phone...

I may try to use my phone at work and the toll free # w/credit card - but, we still have to figure out how to get into the house.

Perhaps your parents will know of a window left unlocked or something and can tell you what to do. They might say that there is plenty of water and food- Maybe the toilet lid (yucky as it sounds, if the cats get desperate, they WILL go there) is up. You might find out that the cats will be OK even thought you can't get in.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and the kitties.

I didn't see a follow- up post- I hope that the kitties are OK and that you're relieved...

You don't want to let the cats go hungry, but you don't want to have to explain to the police why you were trying to break in. And yes, my aunt locked us out of our own house once and used a credit card or driver's license to get back in. It is possible assuming there is no deadbolt involved. Just let the police know that your sole goal is to feed the cats. Maybe they have dealt with this before. Otherwise, I do have one question. Is there a pet door, like a doggie or kittie door?

My only other advice would be to find some fashionable form of a phone that will allow you to call them. Let them know so they won't come home to dehydrated kitties without knowing.

without food and water?

Until I figured out that I would have to hand feed her (for six months it turned out), she went 3 or 4 days before she started getting really sick. What happened was that her liver turned on her and she ended up having to go to the state vet hospital in Raleigh and the students laughed at her. Poor thing turned yellow. The liver didn't shut down because she wasn't eating. She quit eating because the liver was sick, but not eating made the liver shut down worse. I was handfeeding her, but not enough. Until I learned how much I was supposed to hand feed her per day to keep her alive while the vets tried to find a treatment for her disease, she didn't do too well at all. Then again, she was sick to begin with. A healthy cat can probably go a couple of days, but don't take what I "think" as fact. From what I hear, there is a cat veterinarian over in the Pets Group. She would be the person to ask for a definitive answer.

I would make sure I did something tomorrow even if I broke into the house and then turned myself in to the police to ask them to lock the house back somehow or guard it while you fix whatever you might have broken to get in. It would definitely be best to call them first to ask them for any help they may be able to offer.

I'm not trying to alarm you, because there could be other factors. Did your relatives possibly leave any extra food or water out for the cats? If the cats had to, could they get into the trash and scrounge around for any scraps if necessary? Are the toilet lids up for the water needs in case you can't get in there. Cats are resourceful, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

They can't go without food for more than a day or two without running the risk of getting a fatty liver syndrome as the writer below illustrates - it depends on the cat - some cats have been shut up in places for weeks without food or water and still do ok after being freed and other cats get a fatty liver syndrome after not eating for just a day and need be hospitalized and have a feeding tube inserted in order to get back to normal. And other cats get into the garbage and ingest something dire in their hunger.

They will get dehydrated pretty quickly, too and that can threaten the health of their kidneys.

If it were my cats, I'd want you to break in - I'm always locking myself out anyway - I always try the bathroom window - usually open so you can just remove the screen to get in , and if not, it's smaller and cheaper to replace than the other windows. Also maybe their neighbor has a key.

Margie got locked up in the tac shed, we were afraid coyotes had got her. I went out to get some riding gear and she waltzed out like it was no big thing. Other than losing about 3 pounds, and eating and drinking everything in sight, she's fine.

From my limited experience, I don't think they'll allow the cats to starve to death. They'll probably have to go in with you as witnesses that you're not robbers.

If you can prove you're a relative, maybe they can pick a lock?

Good luck! Please post an update.

to explain a lot of questions later.

Everyone forgets what is on the side of most police cars. Even the police. "To Serve and Protect". This includes kittys.

seems pretty obvious to me :shrug:

There are some very interesting new pictures to look at and thought provoking commentary.

well, not exactly

"GD has been sighted adrift at sea" and this one "They're just LINES, people", the picture for this one was a lot of fun.

are like $15 a minute. Break a window or something...

It'll be around $50 (that's an SF price) and you are in the hounse in under five minutes. No breakage, no hassle.

The kitties need care,