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AIBU?

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Original poster

To break into my new neighbours house *THREAD 3: The Final Conundrum*

1000 replies

Catsos · 29/08/2023 15:44

I’m really not trying to drag this out 😩 but I seriously need some advice following on from my posts this weekend where my cat (who has a reputation for breaking cat-flaps in the neighbourhood) broke into my new neighbours vacant house while it is being renovated.

Here is the original post if anyone needs more context:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4881905-to-break-into-new-neighbours-house-serious-question-not-trolling

After not being able to get back out the cat-flap he was stuck in there for 48 hours over the bank holiday weekend and then finally released by the builder after various rescue attempts by me.

During that period however some damage occurred to my new neighbours property. I had hoped they would take it all in good spirits as fellow cat owners and we’d laugh about it and be new cat bessie mates but they we’re absolutely seething!!

They have proposed that I pay £1,600!!! for the following:

£800 to replace the rug my cat wee’d on

£400 to replace an area of laminate flooring as apparently the wee has gone into the underlay

I offered to pay £100 for professional rug cleaning, but the wife (who seems very neurotic) says her cats will still be able to smell my cats urine and they don’t want that to stress their cats out when they move them into the new home

£150 for repainting areas of muddy foot prints on the walls where my cat scratched to get out
(again I offered to just wipe them off but the wife insists it is repainted)

£50 to repaint window sils where the crabsticks & icecubes I dropped through the window has damaged the paint

£200 for a new bathroom window vent as I pushed thinly slice honey roasted ham through it

AIBU to think they are being very over the top? I could personally clean/repaint all of these things myself. Should I refuse to pay this amount? I don’t even have this amount available anyway, I would need to get an overdraft.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
Sceptre86 · 29/08/2023 18:11

I had a feeling they would not be happy with the damage caused to their property and those that were egging you on to break a window were stupid. I would expect you to pay for all of it but I would have cleaned the muddy paw prints and given it a day or two to see if the paint needed to be redone. Why should they claim on their insurance, she is right the premium will then go up next year. If anything you should have pet
insurance and claim on yours.

mimi0708 · 29/08/2023 18:12

If your cat forced open the cat flap to enter then you should pay for the damages OP. I would be really pissed off if I was the owner since they have just renovated it only to find it damaged. The smell on the rug won't come off even if it's professionally cleaned so I'm afraid you have to replace that.

Susuwatariandkodama · 29/08/2023 18:13

Muphryscrabsticks · 29/08/2023 18:03

I think you should take responsibility for damage caused by the ham and the crabsticks. Those were your decisions and responsibility.

The damage caused by the cat being trapped inside the house was caused by their cat flap arrangement and could equally have been caused by a fox or rodent. Offering a nominal amount is reasonable, and offering to cover cleaning costs is generous.

But given that good neighbourly relations are now off the table, whether you want to be generous is up to you.

Since you are on good terms with the nice builder could you ask him if their quote to replace the vent and repaint the window board are reasonable?

Agree with this!

Illbebythesea · 29/08/2023 18:14

I do think you should pay for the damages but £1.6k?! For 1 cat locked in over a weekend? I cannot believe the damages are that excessive and think all their quotes are OTT.

ChristmasKraken · 29/08/2023 18:14

febbabies2023 · 29/08/2023 18:00

Following purely because I'm invested in the full outcome of this now

Just imagine something totes hilarious and dramatic.

oneleggedspider · 29/08/2023 18:17

All this has taught me is that in future if your cat is locked somewhere you should immediately break a window to let it out before it pees.

It wouldn't cost 1.6k to replace a small window.

AliceOlive · 29/08/2023 18:20

Seriously you think that shoving sliced ham and sodding crab sticks into people's houses is NOT going to cause damage?

Quotes like this are cracking me up. Exactly how much damage do you think a crabstick can cause?

SoupDragon · 29/08/2023 18:20

Muphryscrabsticks · 29/08/2023 18:03

I think you should take responsibility for damage caused by the ham and the crabsticks. Those were your decisions and responsibility.

The damage caused by the cat being trapped inside the house was caused by their cat flap arrangement and could equally have been caused by a fox or rodent. Offering a nominal amount is reasonable, and offering to cover cleaning costs is generous.

But given that good neighbourly relations are now off the table, whether you want to be generous is up to you.

Since you are on good terms with the nice builder could you ask him if their quote to replace the vent and repaint the window board are reasonable?

The damage caused by the cat being trapped inside the house was caused by their cat flap arrangement and could equally have been caused by a fox or rodent.

The damage caused but the cat being trapped inside was caused by the OP letting her cat out despite knowing he breaks into houses though cat flaps. It wasn't caused by a fox or a rodent, it was caused by her cat.

AliceOlive · 29/08/2023 18:21

Anyone have some crab sticks and ham? We need someone to do an experiment.

Sweetpeasaremadeforbees · 29/08/2023 18:22

Where was it mentioned that the window was open? , I must have missed this .
When did you notice the cat missing@Catsos?
Are you sure he went in the cat flap? , he could have slipped in with the builders?.
The damage could have been caused by him trying to get out a locked flap ?
Anyway, you do need to cover some of the slightly silly things you did ( crab sticks and ham !) , I can understand you panicking particularly as a lot of posters told you your cat was likely to die but still it was damage caused by you .

This^ I think the neighbours are slightly taking the piss with the amount they're asking for but I don't agree that the cat flap was faulty. Sounds like the cat has plenty of experience of buggering up cat flaps. And why oh why did you do the crabsticks/ham OP, are you mad?

onestepfromgrace · 29/08/2023 18:22

@Catsos is this your cat?

To break into my new neighbours house *THREAD 3: The Final Conundrum*
nonheme · 29/08/2023 18:22

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Rainbowsmiles82 · 29/08/2023 18:25

I think you got off lightly there OP.

If it was my house I would be absolutely fuming!

Keep the large vermin locked inside to prevent this happening to someone else’s pride and joy!!!!

ZolaBudd · 29/08/2023 18:25

AliceOlive · 29/08/2023 18:20

Seriously you think that shoving sliced ham and sodding crab sticks into people's houses is NOT going to cause damage?

Quotes like this are cracking me up. Exactly how much damage do you think a crabstick can cause?

DYING HERE SOS SOS

IClaudine · 29/08/2023 18:25

£50 to repaint window sils where the crabsticks & icecubes I dropped through the window has damaged the paint

What damage could crabsticks and ice cubes do to a window cill and why would it cost £50 to repaint one window cill?

whatausername · 29/08/2023 18:26

They should have blocked off their cat flap, or if it is one of those that open to a particular microchip in a particular cat then the flap is faulty. They're taking the piss. You need to pay some of that but not all of it.

cocoloco117 · 29/08/2023 18:26

They’re taking the piss with the prices ask for a written receipt. Bathroom vent is not £200 to replace. Morally you should paysince your actions (crab sticks, posting the ham) did cause some of the damage. I guess it depends where you stand legally. Cat falls under act of god doesn’t it? Suggest they claim on their home insurance and offer to pay the excess?

IClaudine · 29/08/2023 18:27

Maybe the crabsticks had pincers? 🦀

kirbykirby · 29/08/2023 18:28

Hopefully the new neighbours are not Muslim or Jewish as otherwise you have basically contaminated their new house by pushing ham through their cat flap, into their home. I would be furious if I was them and I think £1,600 is a small price to pay for all the damage you have inflicted.

whatausername · 29/08/2023 18:28

And if they're downright rude and inflexible then put the money towards moving costs instead ;-) dons flamesuit

Malificent1 · 29/08/2023 18:28

They’re trying it on OP. Why was the rug even there if they’re currently having building work done and haven’t moved in yet? Doesn’t sound like a particularly treasured rug. More like a dust sheet.

Yayhelen · 29/08/2023 18:29

Catsos · 29/08/2023 16:03

Did you break the vent?

No, but the ham kind of got stuck in there. I could clean it but granted there would still be ham in the crevices.

I’d be happy to pay a contribution but £1800 seems very over the top, surely we both made mistakes, theirs being leaving unattended cat-flap in empty houses…

They left a brand new, microchip/secure cat flap in a new house. It’s not their fault (or responsibility) that your cat is a reverse Houdini! You said yourself he has form. I think that’s a stretch, sorry OP.

I will be honest, I get where they are coming from on this. The laminate and underlay is reasonable because obviously the urine has just sat there and not been cleaned - so would always be whiffy, especially when the house gets warm. I think the request to replace the cat flap is also reasonable.

I would be asking for them to give you the rug that your cat did a wee on, cleaning it and selling it on to recoup some cost. I would also be offering to paint myself.

Is the vent very special? It seems expensive to replace?

IClaudine · 29/08/2023 18:29

oneleggedspider · 29/08/2023 18:17

All this has taught me is that in future if your cat is locked somewhere you should immediately break a window to let it out before it pees.

It wouldn't cost 1.6k to replace a small window.

You could get done for B&E though.

DrSbaitso · 29/08/2023 18:30

AliceOlive · 29/08/2023 18:21

Anyone have some crab sticks and ham? We need someone to do an experiment.

Crab sticks and ham?

I do not like them, Sam I am.

ZolaBudd · 29/08/2023 18:30

If i had to put anything down for the cat it would have been dreamies- dry and easy to post through a cat flap

The ham thing was odd

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