# scared under bed by low battery alert?



## CJinCA (Dec 5, 2011)

So this morning, the carbon monixide alarm started beeping around 5am. Apparently, kitties had turned off the power strip (by stepping on the button probably) and the battery was getting low. Then hubby pulled it out and it did more beeping until he turned it off. I went to feed kitties, but only Lickorish came. Very unusual for Squeek (aka piggy panda kitty) to not show up for breakfast, so I went looking for her. I thought maybe she got locked in a closet or something. I called and searched for her. Finally found her under the bed, and she was NOT coming out. Brought her food and fed her under the bed. She finally came out a couple hours later.

I didn't think that little beeping noise would be sooo scary! We've accidentally set off the burglar / fire alarm a few times, and thats loud and obnoxious, and it doesn't bother them too much. They don't run and hide anyway. Whats with the little beeping noise scaring her under the bed? Squeek is the one afraid of thunderstorms too, but a low battery beep? Annoying, but not scary - at least to me.

Only other thing different was the furnace was running. I just turned it on for the first time this season on Tuesday evening, so its been running off and on since then.


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

LOL sounds like something mine do. What?! Something new? eeek! gotta hide!

Cats can hear high pitches, ultrasonic. These are the levels of noises that rodents speak to each other at. Unfortunately, many of our appliances will reach these levels also. Example, if you plug in the toaster, your kitty is going to be able to hear the electricity coursing through the outlet into the plug in the toaster.

Noises are also amplified much more for cats then us. In fact, cats can out hear dogs. SO put it all together, and your CO alarm probably has a pitch that freaked Squeek right out!. 

I don't think it was the furnace or Squeek probably wouldn't have bothered coming out from under the bed. So, unless your alarm goes off again, Squeek can relax


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## Cat'sHouse (Apr 5, 2012)

I retired from HVAC a couple of years ago but still do maintenance in rental units. At times I find that some people think that an alarm beep is just because of a low battery. smoke detectors normally beep every 30 seconds or so when they are signaling a low battery.

CO detectors do some other beeps, like when you disconnect them from a 120v source. or disconnect a back up battery from them. If the detector is more than five years old, I would replace it. Also have one on every floor mounted on a wall or in an outlet. CO is free flowing so the location doesn't matter. Your post said you just turned on the furnace and that might mean something. Buy a detector that indicates the level of CO, not just alarms if it senses CO.

There could have been other pitches from the old CO alarm that you didn't hear but your kitten did and was frightened.


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