Woman Says Contractor Sealed Her Cat Inside of Drywall

A woman shared her shock upon discovering her cat was inadvertently sealed behind drywall during a renovation project in a TikTok video that has since gone viral.

Ashlin Hadden posted the video, which was viewed more than 2 million times, to her account @ashlinhadden. She showed a newly-renovated bathroom, and in the next room, a hole in the bottom of the wall.

"Contractor Dry walled MY CAT into the drywall while I was on a business trip," read the text over the video.

Samantha Bell, a cat behavior expert with the Best Friends Animal Society, wrote to Newsweek that many cats may become stressed by changes in their environment, especially if there are new and loud sounds, smells and people.

"They may be so scared that they dash out an open door or hide in a hard-to-get-to area of the construction," Bell said.

Some indicators of stress in cats, according to Cats Protection, include overeating, over-grooming fur and a visible increase in anxiety or fear.

Bell recommended cat owners ensure their pets stay in a closed area that workers do not access. Rooms that cats are left in should be made comfortable with soft music and a sign indicating that the door should be left closed. A cat tower far away from the work is may work if a pet owner does not have a room available for their cat.

"Boarding your cat is another option, but cats are happiest and most comfortable when they can stay in their own home," Bell said.

In her video, Hadden said she hired a contractor who pulled out the previous bathtub and replaced it.

"As I'm sitting here trying to figure out where my cat is, I can hear the cat crying from somewhere in here," she said, gesturing in the bathtub's direction.

Hadden said she punched a hole into the wall that is connected to the bathroom, and her cat climbed out.

"This poor kitty was locked in there for three days stuck underneath the drywall," she said, concluding the video.

In another video, Hadden said while she was out of town, her cats had access to an automatic feeder, litter box and water and she did not have a cat sitter for the weekend.

She said the contractor knew there were cats in the house and kept the door shut to the area he was working in.

"When he left to go downstairs to get the paint, he left the door open, he left the hole in the wall," Hadden said. "Obviously, the cat did what cats are going to do and was curious."

The videos left some viewers divided, with some saying it was not the contractor's fault that the cat was stuck.

"Yeah checking for your cat isn't something we do," a viewer wrote.

"Kinda scary but I wouldn't blame the contractor entirely," another viewer commented. "Cats are silent sometimes and [they] are so curious they crawl into so many spaces."

Some, however, said Hadden was not to blame.

"You are fine," one viewer wrote. "It was a freak accident. Glad you thought quick and got them out."

Hadden wrote to Newsweek that aside from being a bit dehydrated, her cat was healthy and safe. Once he was freed, she said he ran out and hid under her bed.

Since the incident, she said he's been more cuddly.

Hadden explained that the contractor was behind on the work he was meant to do, and because she knew him already, she felt comfortable with him being in the house while she was away.

"He was aware that the cats were in the house," she said. "I locked the cats out of the bedroom and the master bathroom."

After following up with the contractor, Hadden said he told her he was "so sorry" and he "wouldn't have thought he would be in there."

"Then he asked when I was going to pay the last $1k owed," Hadden said. "Never asked to pay the cat bill or anything."

Other videos featuring cats have previously gone viral.

A cat went viral after it blatantly ignored its owner's order to not turn on the hot water tap, while another pet owner shared a video showing her cat stuck in a tree during a storm.

One video prompted experts to tell cat owners they should not intentionally try to frighten their cats.