To break into new neighbours house *serious question, NOT trolling*

[Catsos]

Name change as I don’t want neighbours to recognise me😭

I have a cat who has a bit of a reputation on our street for forcing his way into neighbours homes by breaking open their cat-flaps to steal their pets food. He’s been doing it for years, not much I can do about it besides keeping him in which he would hate. Anyway….

Here is the problem..

This afternoon I realised I hadn’t seen him for nearly 24 hours (very unusual for him). I went out into the street to look for him when I spotted the bloody buggar in the window of the house two doors down!!!
This house was recently bought by a couple who are living elsewhere while they are renovating it. I have briefly spoken to this couple once, and they mentioned they have cats, so I assumed they have already had a cat-flap installed which he has broken into.

I was really confused why he hadn’t come back out, so I peered through their front window and spotted the catflap which he must have entered through. It’s one of those “smart” catflap brands which only opens if the cat has the right microchip. So he’s managed to get in, but now he can’t get out as his microchip isn’t unlocking it. I can see his muddy scratch marks on their newly painted wall besides the catflap, so he’s obviously been trying to get back out 😩😩

So here’s the even bigger problem…

As i’ve said, the couple who own the house are living elsewhere while renovating it. So there is nobody here to let him back out. I usually see them visit the house every week or so but I don’t know when they will be here next and he has already been inside for around 24 hours.

I’ve already spoken to all of the neighbours and nobody has contact details for them. I did think I could contact the estate agents who their house was on the market with to try and get their contact details but as it is the bank holiday they won’t be open until Tuesday - which means he will have been trapped for 72 hours inside their house.

What should I do?! Do I try and break in, get my cat and then secure the property as best I can and explain what happened when they are next here? That sounds like a really bad start to a relationship with them but then my cats trapped inside, presumably without water?!

I really wouldn't bother contacting a lock smith, because there is no way it will be legal let alone ethical for them to break in to a property for you when you are not the owner of that property. They especially could not then change the broken lock and give you the new keys and therefore access to a property that is not yours, nor could they leave the property vulnerable with a broken lock. Unless the police instruct them to break in and then secure the property afterwards, they can't do anything for you, and may come out to the house just to tell you that, then and charge you a call out fee for nothing.

Both the police and the RSPCA have told you they don't have the authority to break in to the house to get your cat out, so all you can do now is wait and hope the owners come by tomorrow, or that you can contact the estate agents on Tuesday and they have some way to get in touch with the house owner.
Be prepared though, they might not have contact details for them, and if they do will probably only offer to contact on your behalf, and may even refuse to make contact. I seriously doubt they would hand over the house buyers contact details to you. Even then, you'll be at the mercy of the new owners, who might not have anyone local with keys to come and let your cat out. If as you say, they are several hours away, it's unlikely theyre going to drop everything on a week/work day to drive a several hour trip here, and then back again, for the sake of your cat.

I completely understand how desperate you are and how much you love your cat, i would be going out of my mind too, but you really need to stop interfering with your neighbours property. You shouldn't be going in to their garden, let alone trying to break in to their house, it's a criminal offence, and trying to rescue your trapped cat is not an excuse that will get you off the hook if someone reports you and you get arrested. You also need to stop posting things through their windows/vents etc, because you're risking causing more damage than your cat has already caused and potentially could get in trouble for that too. Seafood especially will absolutely stink when it goes off and could linger for a while if it permeates the surface, and the icecubes melting could cause water damage/marks. I know you won't care about that right now, but the new owners certainly will, along with the damage the cat has caused from being trapped. I hope they haven't already put down brand new carpets that your cat has now been pissing and shitting on, as if i were them i'd absolutely want/expect you to pay for replacement carpet and fixing any other damage to walls, furniture etc your cat has caused trying to get out. Yes it's not your fault your cat has gotten trapped in there, but it isn't theirs either, and its your cat that's caused the damage.

I'm still at a loss to how your cat has even gotten in, as if they're not living there yet, their own cats aren't there so no chip to trigger the flap to unlock to let your cat in. Unless its got a fault or is locked in a way that it always opens inwards but not outwards, its more likely hes snuck in an open door when they've been there and they've not realised and locked him in. Waiting is going to be so so hard, but it's all you can do now. If your cat deteriorates and is in danger by all means call the RSPCA again if it becomes a life or death emergency for the cat, but even then i'm not sure they would actually be able to force entry, and if they did it will likely be at your cost to replace lock/door etc.

I'm crossing my fingers for you and your cat, and hope he gets out of this safely.

Fuck me, you don't get this shit with dogs. Worst you have to deal with is piss in your slippers, not bloody breaking and entering.

I reckon if you're going to try removal yourself, you need to be armed with a sink plunger, gaffa taped to a broom handle so there's some flex in the middle for the bend. Ram it up the tunnel with a bit of welly, and it'll either push the flap out, or suck on to it and you can pull it open.

However... If you can't justify the cost of an OOH locksmith, you won't want to justify the cost of all the repairs to your neighbours house either. The longer catto is in there, the more damage you're looking at footing the bill for. And, the crab sticks DO need retrieving.

Not sure about the bomber jacket either. Straightjacket might be more effective

Nothing short of a TV crew will get the RSPCA out. Or a report of a thin cat in a garden, then they will go and put someone's much loved pet to sleep without checking first. Have known this happen twice.

I also hear that they're very partial to getting involved if they're promised a sizeable donation as a direct result. Everybody has to have some form of moral compass...

Maybe see if you can contact the manufacturer of the cat flap tunnel and see if they can give you a workaround for the chip control for the flap.

OP. If you were to lift a drain cover and shouted up the pipe (towards the house) would this encourage the cat toward the toilet for a drink? It would be as though you were calling him/her. The bowl would act as something of a loudspeaker.

Yeah I would definitely call the fire brigade .

sorry OP this is so funny, but I would be worried to bits if it was my cat. At least you know where he is!

🤣🤣🤣🤣

If he has pushed open the cat flap than you can push open the cat flap and put in some water and food. Then I would set up a system (maybe with a stick) to keep the flap open so he comes out - which he'll prob do when you are not around. We have cats and the microchip is more to go in rather than go out - we do have one which is for going out but they are not that common and more expensive.

Sorry but

@AutumnCrow Well played! I see what you did there.

Or a report of a thin cat in a garden, then they will go and put someone's much loved pet to sleep without checking first. Have known this happen twice.

What! That sounds bizarre

OP - @Catsos you can open microchip cat flaps from the outside by pulling the plastic door out and up towards you.
This is how unauthorised cats are still getting in houses, they can't push open the door, so they pull it out so they can get in instead!
Use a suction cup or cocktail stick to get purchase on the door.
This will cause no damage either.

In you need to drop food through, drop dry food or biscuit treats, not crabsticks!

Also sorry if this has been mentioned already but the estate agent definitely will not be able to give out the personal information of clients!

Contact the local press? They'll love this story and it might go viral and reach the owners at some point tomorrow?

Try the fire brigade? I always thought they were first point of call for cats stuck in weird places. They might at least have more advice than the police.

Is there any post you can see through the front door with the owner's name on it so you could do a Facebook search for them?

The crab sticks were a bad move 😬 wet cat food has a high water content- id be squeezing that through the gap onto the window sill if you think he can access that room.

I would totally understand if someone broke my window to rescue their cat, as long as they secured it again.

Good luck, some cat flaps have timers which lock so they can't get out in the evening. Maybe he'll just walk out himself in the morning!

Of course not, but the idea is that the agent will contact the owners to tell them about the situation, rather than give the OP their number.

Sorry but

I know, crackers isn't it.

Considering sewers are connected to multiple properties, it could give the old boy a couple of doors up a heart attack when he's sat on the throne.

"Margaret!!! I'm sat on the toilet and farted and now somebody's shouting Tiddles up the toilet!!!"

If you know the estate agent who sold it, can you search for their staff list online? Sometimes their websites will have a list of current team members with their photos. Then you could look their name up and message them on Facebook, in the hope that one of them takes pity on you and tries to help you tomorrow.

If they are renovating it then maybe there are plans on the council website - plans often have the name of the architect and/or builder and a phone number. I would also ask the neighbours if they have seen the builder's van and name of their company so you can give them a call.
I would also go to a hardware shop and ask them if they have a long stick with a bendy bit at the end to go around a corner to see if you can push open the door - what about a fishing rod?.
Final idea - and sorry this could be considered a bit gross - but don't the people who clear drains have rods which are a bit bendy as not all drains are straight? Maybe ask a drain company if they think they could help you.
Also, ring the local pet shelter - they might not be the right pet shelter but they would have contacts. Long story - but we had a starling get stuck in our wall - I rang a pet shelter 1hr from us who had volunteers who lived near me and they kindly just came and helped me cut a whole in the wall and then they took the bird to a bird shelter.

I'm not accusing her of starving the cat, she hasn't told us what the feeding schedule is..
but maybe she is underestimating how much food the cat needs, and how often, some cats don't like going long periods without eating

if the cat is always searching for food than its clearly hungry otherwise it wouldn't be doing this or maybe its thirsty and needs a cat fountain

she should maybe give regular small meals of wet food, and leave dry food out
maybe add in some milk and treats to deter the cat from breaking into people houses

or maybe the cat has undiagnosed medical issue that makes it constantly hungry and thirsty
either way the OP needs to figure it out because it creating issues with the neighbours and she seems to think this is the cats personality instead of trying to correct the behaviour

Good point, there's probably an open toilet so he's unlikely to become totally dehydrated.

OP. We've considered all the obvious ways into the house. Has anyone suggested the chimney? Could a drone hovering over the chimney pot let a rope down that the cat could climb up? It's a bit Jack and the Beanstalk granted. But it's a thought.

Check to see if the property has come up as sold prices in rightmove - it might have details of which real estate agent sold. Most real estate agents have lettings offices and ALL lettings offices tend to have 24hr emergency contacts would could potentially access their details for you and call the owners on your behalf.

Has no one heard of fecal spray and aerosolization?

Our house is a closed toilet house.

Some of the suggestions on this thread are the most bizarre & plain batshit crazy I've ever seen

You must be out of your mind with worry! I hope beyond belief that the owners come back tomorrow and hand your baby back to you.