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.

Not contents insurance, that I know of. Sounds like any claim would be half contents (the rug) and half buildings (the rest).

I'd love to see someone dressed in camo with a super soaker tailing their delinquent cat around the neighbourhood!

The house was secure. The cat broke the cat flap. He has done it before he breaks car flaps to go into the neighbours houses and steals their cats food. OP admitted this she isn't disputed that her cat broke the cat flap.
The cat broke the hinges to get in then couldn't get out because the hinges were broken.
none of this is the neighbours fault.

'Her cat is a repeat offender'

It's not looking good, Mr Whiskers - the prosecution found your previous convictions for breaking & entering. We're going to have to look at getting a reduced sentence

Ooosh, sorry OP but I think it’s fair. I’m glad your cat is OK but the home owners shouldn’t be left out of pocket for your / your cat’s actions. Maybe see if you can pay instalments? Be very, very apologetic and see what they say then. I have to say, if someone shoved ham through my vent and crab sticks on my windowsills, I wouldn’t want to be best friends with them either, but I do understand your desperation to get your cat out of there.

How is an unoccupied house with a window left open secure?

Only 10 pages to go before the next update.

Sure this has been discussed, but given cats are not the same as dogs in the eye of the law, is there any legal grounding for OP to have to cover costs of the cat's damage (obviously the damage she caused is separate)? Or is it more of an ethical dilemma because there is no legal standing?

I think this will end up on the mail before the next thread.

Not RTFT but surely the owners have to take some responsibility for what happened as they did not fully secure their property so that animals (in this case, your cat) couldn’t get in.

On that basis, I don’t think you should have to pay for the damage the cat did, but you should pay for the damage caused by your actions.

@Catsos

Morally you should contribute something but LEGALLY YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE

PLEASE SEE Animal Act 1971

Animals Act 1971
In 1971, cats were ruled as ‘free-spirits’ and, consequently, were given the right to roam wherever they please, more or less. It states under the Animals Act 1971 that they “cannot be held guilty of trespass under civil law and, therefore, their owners or keepers cannot be liable for any damage done”. If neighbours want to strike up a case against a cat owner, they need to prove that the owner has negligently allowed their cat to stray, something which is incredibly difficult to prove.
It’s actually down to the owners of the property to ensure that cats cannot access their land, or prevent them from worrying any animals they keep, such as rabbits and poultry.

Might be handy...

I can’t believe people are trying to blame the neighbours.

So if I had the kitchen door open while packing the car for a holiday, a cat creeps in that I don’t see, then I lock the house up and go away with the cat locked inside, any resulting damage would be my fault?!

Like fuck it would be. I’d be livid that a cat that wasn’t mine had damaged my new house (and cat pee is properly disgusting).
I wouldn’t be dicking around with the owner sorting what they felt was ok, the cat caused damage that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

According to the links people have posted upthread, owners need to take reasonable steps to ensure cats don’t damage property. None of the links have been explicit about what this means in practice.

I’d personally interpret it as “if you know your cat breaks into places, keep it on your own property” (catio or cat proofing garden if you don’t want an indoor cat), but that’s really a question for lawyers.

I’m on your side @Catsos they had a cat flap that other cats can break into - this is 100% on them!!! I completely understand why you feel guilty, but I just can’t see how this is your fault at all.

Does @Catsos still have the number of the builder that let the cat out? If so, ask him for a quote for the repairs. One assumes he still has remains of pots of paint
Then it's a case of rug professionally cleaned vs replaced

If the cat broke the cat flap then how come it couldn't get out? If its a microchip one then I am intrigued at how he can break those to get in, but not out.

Lol. They are having a laugh.
No way. They would get no where in small claims either

My husband says tell them to sue you...you can't be held responsible for your cat, as you can't control a cat. I think £400 is more than enough.

Everything seems reasonable APART from the cost of a new rug. That's insane. It's not been ripped to pieces or anything, just dirtied so they should accept it being professionally cleaned.

You can keep them in if you know them to be a menace, though.

Cats are different to dogs in law. Owners are not liable for damages.

A neighbours Tom cat literally broke through my cat flap and sprayed all up my sideboard a couple of years ago. The smell was awful. I fixed the cat flap and cleaned the sideboard. I didn't think to ask for a contribution or new sideboard. It's one of those things.

Shove a cat flap hard enough and they'll get through even when it's locked.

I've also had another Tom cat do the same and impregnate my two girl cats (I now have 2 litters of kittens a few weeks apart!) the owner found this hilarious. I did not. However again what can I do?

In your instance I would morally offer to clean and if I saw the damage myself I'd offer to contribute but I wouldn't take their word for it or their prices.

Cat flap £200 is ridiculous. Even with installation mine was under £100.

They are massively taking the piss @Catsos
A new vent (we had one fitted not long ago) was less than £20.
I agree you should put right any damage YOU caused (the vent, the paintwork where the crabsticks were).

You aren't legally responsible for the damage the cat caused and whilst ordinarily I would say you should pay the damages, since they are being unreasonably grabby pricks, I would just tell them to go through insurance and be done with it.

Just here for thread 4( c'mon we know it's coming, you guys are so chatty 😄)unless OP has been disposed of with a bird bath for offering £400 when that could be the cost for just the laminate according to neighbour.

Is this a serious post? You pushed honey roasted ham through a bathroom vent? 😂😂
And you have the cheek to call your neighbour "neurotic"?!