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

[Catsos]

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.

for fuck sake cat insurance isn't in case they lead a life of crime its for MEDICAL stuff

How much damage can a crab stick do? Just made me giggle.

Legally I understand However, cats enjoy a unique position as the Animals Act 1971 does not apply to them. This is how cats have this 'right to roam' and they cannot, therefore, trespass in the legal sense. Therefore, an owner cannot be legally responsible for where their cats go.
But I have no legal training
Similar happened to me many years ago but luckily I had pet insurance and even luckier the homeowner was more worried about the cat

My cat insurance covers damage caused by the pet.

TBH I don't care if this is all made up.

It is MOST EXCELLENT

Oh, that is weird then. I’d ask to see the receipt for the rug (but would pay up if it was £800)

I could tell on your last thread that you had no intention of paying up.

You need to pay and keep your cat home in the future.

The paint and laminate flooring are inexpensive, imo.

How do you know the rug could be cleaned? If it was me I would hate the thought of someone's cat having pissed on my brand new rug. I find it bad enough when the cats shit on my doorstep.

By the way, does anyone know what the cat is trying to tell me by shitting on my doorstep?

FFS my DH touches up paint in our house on a weekly basis. The damage done by a couple of ice cubes and some crabs sticks would take about 5 minutes to fix. Ditto with the paw prints. Don't you have Magic Eraser over there?

Might have skim read some of this but if it's their cat flap that is faulty and somehow let your cat into their house then I'd go the other way and expect them to issue an apology and graciously accept your token of contribution to damages. Obviously clean / pay for damages caused by you putting ham / ice cubes through windows etc! Lol But I wouldn't be entirely responsible for damages caused by a cat being stranded in a house if the cat gained access through a faulty cat flap. Surely any small animal could enter their home accidentally and cause incident?

WEEKLY painting? wow

The entitlement of cat people is off the scale. People do not have to secure their homes against other people’s cats. If your cat gets into places where it shouldn’t be and causes damage it’s your fault. Take responsibility for your own decision to own an animal which is 100% likely to be causing a nuisance to someone if you don’t keep it in. It will be destroying wildlife and shitting on someone’s property as a minimum. I had a cat get into my house through a tilt and turn window years ago. It killed itself trying to get out and the damage to my home was horrific.
Anyway the idea that someone would be stupid enough to post crab sticks and ham into someone else’s house is ludicrous, crazy cat woman or not. If any of it’s true, pay the damage and sort yourself out.

Their cat trap flap could have killed your cat. The neighbours have fault on their side.

Not if there’s no evidence OP knew they were Muslim.

You're having a laugh! Your cat did the damage, they need everything replacing new for old

Even if the catflap is faulty, they probably did not know about it. Whereas you know about your cat’s propensity for breaking and entering 😂 My cat is an indoor cat but I imagine the whole purpose of a chip cat flap is to avoid this.

I feel for you OP, I do but £400 isn’t going to cut it. Especially as it doesn’t cover the vent. YABU whether or not you do your own DIY is immaterial. The fact is is that they bought new items and had paid for professional work which your cat has now ruined.

You can ask them for the receipt of the rug and for quotations for the work to make sure you’re not paying a disproportionate amount. However, you should pay for things to be exactly as they were.

If they won't accept that then I think you need to get quotes and show them it's unrealistic.

That’s just not true. You have to prove mens rea, sometimes that’s intention, sometimes it’s recklessness, sometimes it’s nothing. You don’t need intention to commit a criminal act.

Of course it is. My nephew's dog cost him thousands in treatment and he was very glad the dog was insured.

BUT I was replying to someone who said "Why doesn’t your cat have pet insurance? Surely that’s fairly basic if you’re a responsible owner",

I disagree with that. It's a personal choice, There is nothing irresponsible about not having insurance.

(indeed when I was a child there was no such thing)

You can't be responsible for the actions of your cat OP. Think legally pet owners are responsible for actions of their dog but not their cat. PLUS surely the house owner has to accept responsibility for leaving the cat flap open and able to be used. Not exactly difficult to see the outcome of that. Think you're being more than generous.

Why do muddy foot print need repainting, they will easily wipe away. not on about anything other than this point, scratches sure, and if you use the same texture and colour you don’t need to do the whole wall. And yes touch ups if you use the same roller and colour it’s fine, They have tones of it if they just painted. The house isn’t secure by insurance standards, if they aren’t there cat flap should be locked. Sorry but that’s what they will say and won’t pay.
might have been cheaper to break a window and get cat straight away.

No they are being ridiculous.

I don't think you even have to offer them anything. Cats are free to roam and your neighbours did not secure there property. People wont admit it as so many people on here seem to hate cats or believe all cats should not be allowed outside on their own but your neighbours are just as much to blame.

however for neighbourly relations i would offer to pay for the rug to be cleaned and offer a small amount for any minor repairs.

for comparison i have recently had a room plastered in my house, a shower enclosure changed and new radiators installed and it didnt cost what they are asking you lol

tell them to take you to court if they are still unhappy.