Rotten smell in hallway, neighbours away and I’m concerned about missing cat

[ohyesido]

Just that really. I’ve noticed a nasty fishy smell in the hallway of the apartment building I live in. My neighbours are away, they regularly go to their home country in Eastern Europe. Haven’t seen them for a couple of weeks.

This is relevant because they have a very friendly cat who I have not seen for a while and I know they won’t have taken her with them

i am thinking the worst, what should i do? DH says I should ring 101, would they care?

I don't understand how the old boy neighbour knows the cause? Was he able to break in?

I didn’t ask him, but he seemed quite adamant. DH will probably get more from him

If it's so overwhelming, then there's definitely a serious cause. Why not contact the police, as pp have suggested?

That’s exactly what someone who was planning to rob the place would say… 😂

I don’t understand why the elderly man can be convinced unless he went inside. And if he did, why did he leave the bin and not take it outside? I think he is just throwing an idea out there. Maggots don’t smell and veg peelings don’t get super disgusting.

I would call the landlord. It’s unlikely both your neighbours have died at once so it’s not an emergency. And you say they are away, which I assume you know for sure. The landlord can investigate, it could be something like a dead rat under the floorboards or electrical problems can create a fishy smell, but probably not this strong.

What gave it away, is it the black eye mask and this bag with SWAG written on it?

Yes we know that they’re away as their car isn’t parked outside and we normally pass on the stairs regularly. The cat has gotten into my flat on more than one occasion which puts my parrot in peril. I’ll get some advice off 101

Hang on, so you don’t KNOW they’re away?!

Maybe one murdered the other and drove off into the sunset. Maybe the old boy killed them both and has stolen their car. Maybe you’re next if you keep snooping… have you never seen Scooby Doo?

Maggots do smell. It's like ammonia, or something. Vile.

Gave me a much needed belly laugh 😂

@ohyesido Please report in case the cat is starving. Please.

I would ring the police and tell them you haven't seen your neighbours for a couple of weeks and now there's this smell. They'll come check.

Wut, do dead people smell of a nasty fishy smell? Neighbours probably visiting their home town and friendly cat is with friends or in a cattery. 🐈‍⬛

Did the maggots fall through his ceiling?

OMG! Genius! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’ve just had surgery and I shouldn’t have opened this thread as it really, REALLY hurts to laugh🥴

Ok, so, have you considered throwing sliced ham through a gap in their window to lure the cat?

Out of concern for the cat, you attempted to gain access to your neighbours property.

But you've spoken to another neighbour now and it's all OK.

But you still know nothing about the cat?

On Mumsnet? 🫠

So he's just a maggoty bin smell expert?

If you’ve not seen the cat for a while and not seen cat sitters come and go to feed them I’d imagine their cats in a cattery while they go away. If they were irresponsible owners who regularly left it without food I don’t think it would be as friendly as you said

And crab sticks 😸

They will have to investigate, and if there is any suspicion that you were involved, your prints/DNA all over the place will help - yes, you were there 'after' the death, but then a good murderer would make sure their prints and DNA were put there after the kill, too.

I'm pretty sure a good murderer tries their best to not leave/remove any prints/DNA in the first place, not return to leave some at a later date 🤣

@ohyesido Is this an alibi? Seriously I don't understand why you think the police wouldn't do a welfare check.

I'm pretty sure there was an ending, or at least most of one. I can't remember if the OP actually broke an awkward cat flap that the last owners had left, or if she, or one of the other neighbours, ended up breaking a small window, but I do think that she managed to get her cat out eventually, before the new neighbour turned up - I think the new neighbour didn't live there yet as she was having the house renovated, but if I am remembering correctly, I think the new neighbour had already left a new expensive rug or carpet in the house, and that the poor cat might have shat on it!

Anyway, I think that someone, maybe a workman, managed to contact the new owner - who I think lived in a not close by city, or something similar - and when the new owner came down they were furious with the OP (IMO the new owner should have made sure that the redundant cat flap was locked before leaving the property unattended!), and the new owner wanted the OP to pay for the damages made by the cat, and by the OP when trying to rescue it!!

Was that the same thread where the cat flap seemed to have a little corridor thingy, that went around a bend, or have I just made that up during one of my very strange dreams 🤭