I found my cat outside a couple months ago. I couldn't find her owner so me and my husband decided to keep her. She's a very sweet cat,loves being held and petted. Well I gave her a bath a few weeks ago and my husband held her and dried her off. The next day we were getting ready for bed and our cat (we named her Mimi) darted into the heater vent. My husband tried to grab her before she could squeeze down in it but he wasn't fast enough. He called for me and I sat on the floor calling for her while my husband went in the basement and tapped on the vent to try to get her to go back. After a couple minutes she came out,my husband covered the vent and we took her upstairs and went to bed. The next day she's acting scared and trying to hide but wants us to hold her. Every time we went to put her down she would wrap her arms around ours necks and bury her face in our necks. It's been a few days and she is still acting scared. She's eating and drinking and using the litterbox. She still wants to sleep with us and eats her treats and her catnip. My husband and I are thinking that the bath didn't really sit well with her and with her going into the heater vent might of scared her half to death. The heater wasn't on either so we know she didn't get hurt from the heat. We don't know what else could be scaring her. We have 4 dogs but they're all friendly with her. We tried confining her to the spare room so she was away from any noise. Can anyone help is figure out what else it could be? We feel so bad for Mimi, please help! :(

I never understand why people bathe cats? They keep themselves clean.
Anyway, I think she will get over it, but probably each time the heat comes out of a vent, it reminds her that she was in one. Just continue to give her lots of love and attention, don't confine her alone, but maybe put her in a crate with people and dogs around, right in the middle of everything. My cat (when I first got her) would calm down a lot when I put a milk crate over her, half covered with a small blanket.

I have 5 cats! They do like to hide sometimes, just to get away from it all. Be sure Mimi has a place to hide (but not the duct work).
As another answer said, she will be OK when she gets over all that's happened to her.
Good luck.

I never understand why people bathe cats? They keep themselves clean.
Anyway, I think she will get over it, but probably each time the heat comes out of a vent, it reminds her that she was in one. Just continue to give her lots of love and attention, don't confine her alone, but maybe put her in a crate with people and dogs around, right in the middle of everything. My cat (when I first got her) would calm down a lot when I put a milk crate over her, half covered with a small blanket.

Good Answer!

Thanks guys! We gave her a bath because when we found her she was very dirty,she must have been out on her own awhile for her to get that dirty.