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?!

Except as the OP posted pages ago, the catflap is not a normal set up with the inside of the flap directly opposite and only a few inches from the external aperture.

It seems to run round a bend inside the wall - a set up I understand as my DF's DCat has a similar set up, with the cats effectively 'piped' in through the wall, then 90 degrees left, then along and down and 90 right to deposit them into the living room and not under the stairs.

It is also possible the cat either no longer has access to the room with the flap in it - door shutting due to a draught OR, never did have an this flap is locked and the scratch marks are from a previously resident cat, not the OP's cat, in which case the OP's cat got in an entirely different way (shut in when someone was coming in and out, or through a window the OP has not discovered and the cat has now forgotten about).

Morning op that picture of the cat flap looks like the one I have. If it is then he has forced the flap over the red catch inside so therefore he won’t be able to exit as he would have to force exit pushing the flap over two red locks. So I would suggest you find a long bending something like a radiator brush just to prop the flap up. Because he forced it open from outside if it’s the same one I have the flap is open but he needs it to be lifted up from outside. Little bugger.

No. But they will pass on the OPs number for them to call her

Honestly OP, at this point I would break in to rescue your cat. If this was my home and I knew a cat was at risk I would want you to do anything to rescue her.

You’ve done everything you can and a little life is at risk. Good luck!

That looks like the vent from a tumble drier to me, very similar to one we used to have, so potentially not even a cat flap. If it was my cat I would break in doing the least amount of damage possible around the back (as you would be responsible for paying for it) secure the property by boarding the damage up, and then put a letter through the letterbox with your contact details on and an explanation. It wouldn't be burglary as you wouldn't be entering with the intention to commit theft, criminal damage or gbh and it wouldn't be criminal damage because the law says without lawful excuse, and rescuing an animal could be construed as that. You could try explaining that again to the police and you might get someone who knows their job instead of being fobbed off. Again, the RSPCA are bloody useless and should also help you out. If it was a dog in a hot car the window would get broken and the animal rescued.

@Catsos

ignore the people who are idiots.

I would be frantic like you are if it was my DCat. Can you ask a friend to come and help you today?

you can’t rely on the possibility of a toilet seat being left up and not having some chemical cleaner in the pan.

you need to get your cat out today.

the new owners are obviously cat people as they have a flap. So ignore any posters saying any nonsense about how cross the owners will be about damage. They will be worried as well.

im wishing you and your DCat good luck for today and I’m hoping he is back home with you very soon.

Can you go on local forums Facebook to trace owners , someone may know them and alert them to make contact

Estate agent is good idea

OP, I'm sorry if this comes across as a bit rude but, GET UP!

You are making a right faff out if this. Firstly, how could you not notice your poor cat had been missing for 24 hours in the first place???

Rather than wasting time posting on MN, just get a stick or something that can bend, and force the cat flap ffs. Get two poles or something and secure / tape them at an angle with that string brown tape, or whatever to make it strong enough. It's not rocket science!

How could you just go to bed and leave the cat in there? This is quite appalling. Not to mention, he will obviously be urinating in your neighbours house.

Rather than crab sticks, could you not just have put some dried cat food through the window?

Get up and fashion some sort of stick or contraption to force through the cat flap. How hard can this be? Christ on a bike!

Break the window and get the cat out, if it's sting double glazing a tap in corner with a screwdriver and hammer should break one pane then same again for inner pane.

I'd rather someone did this than comeback to what could be terrible.

@Bonniegirlie I was also just thinking the same thing it's not a cat flap but a vent for Tumble dryer indeed that the cats managed to get through as it's odd that they would go through brick to install a cat flap.
Hopefully you get your cat back today op but I do think perhaps what others have suggested on here it might be wise to invest in an outdoor catio in your garden for the cat to prevent any risks of this happening again and to not piss neighbours off if your cat has a habit of breaking in you've been lucky that some have been ok I dread to think if your cat got into someone else's house that wasn't so cat friendly what would happen.

Fingers crossed today your cats back home giving you beef about his drama 🤣

This may have been suggested already but could you contact the contractor or any trades that have been doing the renovation? You may have noticed some vans with their business names on and they could contact the owners for you.

Outstanding. I'm sure your "Why did you do X when you should have done Y?" is very helpful to the OP 9 hours later after she's already done it...

My mircrochip catflap can be set up anyway. Chip needed to come in and out. Free entry from the garden but chip needed to get out. We needed one for a microchip to exit as one cat was a house cat and the other wasn’t

alternatively it might be a non chip cat flap but one with a locking mechanism. Again these can be set up differently and allowing a cat in but not out is a feature for times such as when the cat has an upcoming vet appointment and is outside but you know he’ll come back soon.

Couple of ideas, try and contact any local cat rescue places, they are ingenious at getting cats out of harm as their main goal is to save cats (RSPCA are a waste of time). They perhaps can think of a way to get the cat out that you may not have thought of.

Another option would be to post on FB local chat pages anyone who works for XYZ Estate Agent to private message you urgently, note on the post not a scam this is urgent, perhaps they can get the owners details for you whilst office is closed, who have hopefully employed local builders who have a key?

Hope you get it sorted you must be frantic and so must your cat.

@Username1234321 theres no way they’d give out clients personal information. Imagine the mountain of trouble they’d get in for doing that!

If police and RSPCA won’t help I’d say your next best bet is the locksmith. I’ve locked myself out of houses twice and they’ve never once asked for ID or proof that I live there. Gosh I’m stressed thinking about the mess the cat is making inside that house 🙈

I feel like I’m scream8ng “cancel the cheque” but I’ve said this twice now and seen no acknowledgment of the suggestion from the OP and someone else has mentioned it too.

just break the cat flap with the broom handle. If my cat can batter a cat flap flap out of the frame I’m sure a human can

Do you (or any of the other neighbours) know which care home she went into?

If so, they will have contact details for the relatives, and the relatives will probably have contact details for the new owners.

The tricky bit will be persuading the nursing home to be helpful and pass on your number...

OP had nothing to get around the bend last night to access the cat flap

OP I feel your pain. Our old cat used to get into this sort of scrape, all the time. Once he was gone 5 days, we were desperate, and then he just turned up and was starving. He must have been shut in somewhere.

I think the cat flap is your best route in. Do any of your neighbours have a tool box you could borrow? Worth asking. I think with an electric drill you could get that front cover off, and if your arm could reach round the bend with it you could probably drill the second part too.

Oh and if you haven't already, stick a note through the door just in case you miss someone popping in?

'just break the cat flap with the broom handle.'

Exactly. But instead we have 36 pages of MN and all this chat about calling the police / estate agents / plumbers / RSPCA / locksmiths and god knows what else.

Ah thank you, I missed the bit about the tunnel having a slight bend. Seen it now. Would a crowbar work? They are a bit bent at one end?

This is the most logical thing so far plus post a note through the letterbox with your number incase you miss the neighbours or builders

OP I appreciate you've had lots of replies but just in case, I can exactly visualise this setup, it's what a friend had. A similar thing happened when they were on holiday. The cat sitter lost their keys, couldn't contact them and the cat was locked inside.

Apparently what worked was a drain rod. They're rigid but have some flex in them. You could try that instead of a broom, which obviously won't bend enough to reach the flap. I think if you can push it hard enough to open the flap you could then leave it in there if your cat won't come out straight away, he should then figure out theres an exit point and be able to squeeze past. I'd be absolutely frantic in this situation too

Right, it's past 7am so time to wake up and execute Operation:Release fluffy white cat.

All jokes aside, most of us are worried about your poor cat and hoping he's home soon!

I’m struggling to think how bad the bend in the tunnel could be. Why would there be a bend? We have a tunnel, it’s only as thick as the house wall. I can’t see why anyone would design one with a bend, even with an accidental bend can you not take the external flap off if there is one to make the working space a bit wider……broom handle at whatever side it needs to be for the bend and try angling it, like this?