It's true. I still can't believe it happened. DH and I had been painting the interior walls most of the morning. He got called away for a few hours and I soldiered on tediously working on the trim. In the hall I came across a large cold air return vent on the wall and decided it would be easier to undo the two screws holding it on than tape it. Later I was taking a break out on the front porch with a cup of coffee in hand, watching the rain pour down and I heard this noise that sounded a bit like thunder but just the boom, no rumbling. Curiosity got the better of me and I went to look out a back window to see if one of the noisy neighbours was loading a pickup with something heavy. As I walked through the house I could hear the irregular booms and suddenly realized they were coming from the bowels of the house. Peaches the cat was standing in the living room looking at me as if to say, "Can't you do something about that noise?" Angel-Who-Isn't, however, was nowhere to be found. She had fallen or more likely climbed into the hole in the wall where I had removed the cold air return vent and was wandering in the heating ducts. I panicked! I was on the verge of totally losing it when DH came home. I told him where the cat was and he ran to the hole. He said, "She's right here." and when I got to the hole he had both arms in there holding onto Angel. However, he couldn't pull her out because the hole wasn't big enough for his hands and the cat. Following his instructions I pulled the molding off the wall and ripped away some gyprock at the bottom edge of the hole and Angel's head popped out and she looked around. I told DH to let go of her and see if she could climb out on her own as she was getting antsy and starting to growl. He let go, I hollered, "Kitty Treats!" and Angel-Who-Still-Isn't-And-Never-Will-Be climbed out and sashayed on down the hall to the kitchen looking for her treats. I thought these types of panic/emergencies were behind me when the kids all moved out.