our new house and gilmore

We've taken Gilmore to our new house twice now so he can get used to it. He spent the majority of his first visit cowering in the basement, and a small portion of it crying at the door. He also peed in Merissa's car on the way there (but we have since brought a makeshift litter box over for him).
Last night we went over again to start cleaning. We got the top floor done, and most of the basement. All that's left is the kitchen, the walls on the main floor, and the stairwell down to the basement. Oh, and the shower in the basement and the pesky crayon on the walls which just wouldn't come off for us. So we feel like we accomplished a lot.
Anyways, they must have recently cleaned the vents, because they didn't put the covers back on. This is not good when a cat is over. At first it was ok, because Gilmore was either hiding under the couch or in a closet, but eventually he discovered a vent. We heard a thump and came running only to see his little head down in the hole. Obviously we were not excited about the possibility of a cat falling 2 storeys down a vent, so I reached down and grabbed him. Let me tell you, he did not want to move. His little heart was beating so fast, and yet he wouldn't let me pull him out. He dug his heels and squirmed (but thankfully my death grip was stronger) and eventually I got his head out, then one paw, then another, and then the rest of him followed. I have the scratches to prove it.
After this slightly terrifying experience we locked him out of the bedrooms and he hid in the hall closet again. We were cleaning the walls in the basement when all of a sudden we heard thumping. I ran upstairs and wouldn't you know it, the cat found another vent in the living room and knocked aside the cover to explore his new house more extensively that he should. This time he just jumped out of the vent, which was very nice, and we put the boom box in front of the vent so he would no longer be tempted.
I think it's going to be quite the adventure getting him used to his new abode...