To break into my new neighbours house *THREAD 2*

[Catsos]

Following on from my thread yesterday https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4881905-to-break-into-new-neighbours-house-serious-question-not-trolling

to update all of the lovely people who are trying to help me rescue my cat who has got himself stuck in an unoccupied house.

Updating very shortly

Can you get to a diy store and buy a short length of push fit plumbing pipe and an elbow bend? You may need to buy a cheap hack saw to cut the pipe to the right length you need. Push the elbow fitting on and you will have a strong right angled tool that you may be able to push the flap open with. Personally, I'd try that. Or an old wire coat hanger that may do the same job? I'd also ask one of the elderly watching neighbours, bet the husband would have some sort of useful tool lying around and love to help.

🤣 so am I

Do not throw the bird bath through the window! @Catsos

Have you unscrewed the opening of the cat flap yet?

Please can we move on from this catflap bend conspiracy.

This isn’t the property, it’s from google to show an example but it’s like this going round a bend. Obviously done differently but same concept. Please believe me when I say breaking it open is bloody hard unless I had some special tool.

I suspect the flap is something like the one an PP posted although with a flap just at the internal end and not the external end.

My sister had one put in for her cat, but a straight tunnel. It took several days to train the cat to go through the tunnel so it could be that the OPs cat has got in but is scared to go back through the tunnel.

@Catsos have you tried putting food in the tunnel as close to the flap as possible?

Hi there.

Breaking into someone's house is illegal. I'm sure it carries a custodial sentence. Don't do it.

You have no idea about who the new owners are, or their background. If someone broke into my house I had just bought before I'd even moved in I'd seriously think about not moving in at all and selling. It's a big deal for anyone who's had that happen to them.

It's a total violation. You have no idea what trauma or experience they've had before.

I'm sorry about your cat, but I am pretty certain it will survive. Keep dropping ice and pushing food through and wait for the owners to come back.

I know this is a bit naughty but when I had a locksmith out, they didn’t ask for any ID. I’d just phone and say it’s your property. The second time I had a locksmith they asked for ID (that was in the house). I got it and them then hen paid. If they ask say it’s in the house upstairs and let your cat out. Pay them obviously and confess if you need to. You might not even need a new lock etc.

Why have you not asked the fire brigade or made a bendy but strong long wire pole to try to force the cat flap??

Never-the-less you cat will be fine for days.

Really smelly cat food pushed along the cat flap tunnel? In the hope he might bash his way out

Agreed, unless the locksmith can pick the lock he will will need to drill the lock out or force the door.

But locksmiths often have to break locks to open the door.

If it’s an old Yale lock you might get lucky, but fancy locking systems with a handle and multiple internal bolts that most doors have nowadays have to be replaced.

(speaking from experience as a serial key loser)

In the picture you posted in the other thread, which you haven't posted on this thread, it's quite clear that the opening can be unscrewed. Simple solution rather than the overly dramatic solution of throwing a bird bath through the window - and are you strong enough to do that anyway?

Placemarking!

Providing your cat is otherwise healthy he will survive unscathed even if you have to wait until tomorrow for the estate agents to open. I have known cats stuck in sheds for weeks to survive including my own cat who was unbeknown to us stuck in a garage with no obvious water source for over a fortnight, 3 days is really nothing for a cat, if there is water in a toilet or condensation on a window your cat will find it it and have a drink. He will be fine! You are probably far more stressed than he is at the moment and looking at him and talking to him through a window is probably making him stressed. I wouldn’t be trying to smash windows or anything yet, be prepared to have to pay for some cleaning for your new neighbours but that’s considerably better than smashing a window and leaving the house unsecured.

Why would anyone throw a bird bath through a window to break it anyway ?

To break windows you need to apply high pressure - high force over a small area. That's what glass breaking hammers are for.

If you chuck a bird bath at a window it may well just bounce off and smash you in the face.

Try explaining that one to the NHS as they stitch your head back together.

If you get really, really desperate the fire brigade might help. I thought I had a kitten stuck somewhere in the underside/engine of my car, there was an animal making a noise from within the car.

The police didn’t care and the RSPCA while useless did suggest the Fire Brigade, so I called the Fire Brigade. They came out, took the car totally apart (left it everywhere!) but they got the animal out. Turned out to be a squirrel my bastard cat had chased into my car 🤦🏻‍♀️ So if they can take a car apart they should be able to get that car flap out.

But I would only do that as an absolute last resort. The cat should be ok until tomorrow when you can get hold of estate agents/builders.

Who paid to fix the car out of interest ?

I was thinking this too. Even if you have to show ID it still won't prove the house is yours. How many people have proof of house ownership on them if they've locked themselves out? You probably wouldn't even have anything in the house if it's empty.

In fact maybe speak to your vet and see how long they think you can wait before you need to start smashing windows. Ultimately the cats health is what decides when this situation becomes an emergency.

@Catsos could you call builders and imply that cat must have got in while they were there and that it’s their fault cat locked in and will be responsible for any mess and damage. Might get their arses moving.

Quite, she’s posted a photo of the outside in an ordinary brick wall, not a breeze block pillar or the corner of a thick stone cottage.

This sounds so stressful op. I can't believe the land registry website is down today. What are the chances of that?

Phone the fire brigade. You've phoned everyone else, it's got to be worth a try. Maybe they have some sort of bendy pole tool they could use to get to the cat flap door.

(PS, what a fancy looking cat flap. I've never seen anything like that. I also questioned your description of the cat flap tunnel, I'm sorry now)

Some of these posts are awful, this is a cat a living thing that is probably in distress about the fact they have been without water and food for over 48 hours.

It’s not like the cat has been stuck for 5 minutes and the OP smashed a window, she has given it plenty of reasonable time. Tried all different reasonable methods to get the cat out, it’s now time to find the smallest window possible and break the cat out and pay the damages.

i know lots of you finding this funny but you don’t understand how much love pet owners have, it’s like their baby so please all these comments “I’m sure it can survive days without food and drink” are not helpful because what are you then going to do if it doesn’t and god forbid something horrid happens to the cat. It will all then be “thinking of you OP 💐”