Tonya Payne is getting desperate.

All she wants is for the last tenant of her Wheat Ridge property to vacate the premises so she can get it ready for new occupants.

But Freddy the cat won't leave.

"It's remarkable. This cat is amazing," Payne said. "This is the 12th day."

Freddy was left behind by the previous renter and has been hiding in the plumbing beneath the bathtub, Payne said. She knows he leaves through a small hole in the wall at night to eat and take care of business — the evidence is in the litter box in the morning.

"My whole thought process is I want to make sure Freddy is OK," she said. "But at the same time, I'm just stuck. The traps haven't worked. The trap doors haven't worked. All fish in all sizes didn't work."

An ad on Craig's List for a female cat in heat to attract Freddy has gone unanswered. Animal Control couldn't scare him out by stomping in the tub. Now Payne is offering a year's supply of cat food to whoever helps her evict the kitty.

"I'm really open to any suggestions," she said. "I would love to have an animal communicator come over."

After a story about Freddy aired on 9News Thursday, community members began submitting suggestions, some of them more radical and creative, none of them successful.

Payne has tried a few, including spraying bitter apple scent, playing classical music and leaving out baby food. Somehow, Freddy is snagging the bait and getting back under the tub.

"I own a pet store. I have access to so many foods and treats, and I'm totally stumped," said Payne, who co-owns the Mouthfuls pet boutique in north Denver.

Sunday night, at the advice of her acupuncturist, she tried to smoke Freddy out by burning cayenne pepper wrapped in cheesecloth at the entrance of Freddy's hideout.

"It's horrible, absolutely horrible. Everybody was choking," she said. "I stayed in there with a blanket wrapped around my face, and that cat still never came out...I do not want to hurt it at all. I just want to motivate it to come out."

Several people have offered to camp out at the house to catch Freddy on an evening prowl, but Payne said the house is "in shambles" from Freddy's owner, who left loads of trash and is responsible for the hole in the wall.

"If the cat isn't out by the time that I do the bathroom, I'm going to have to pull the tub," Payne said.

Suggestions have ranged from teasing Freddy out with catnip ("Like I haven't tried that," Payne said,) to scaring him out with a fog machine to sucking him out with a gopher vacuum.

Payne was especially entertained by a suggestion submitted to send in a person with cat allergies into the house because "they always seem to attract cats."

The 4-year-old feline will live with a neighbor once he's caught.

To offer assistance or provide suggestions, e-mail Tonya Payne at mouthfuls@worldnet.att.net.

Just don't suggest catnip.

craigk@RockyMountainNews.com

or 303-954-5618