Nieghbours asked me to feed cats while they're on holiday, but I can't unlock their front door! Can't contact them! Help!

[franch]

DH has tried door too - won't budge. They had friends house-sitting for them for the first few days, so I wonder if they've done something to it? Have texted neighbour but no response - I'm worried she's got no reception or her phone isn't working abroad.

I guess we could buy some dry catfood and pour it through the letterbox - they still wouldn't get any water though.

Neighbours will be back on Sun - cats were last fed yesterday ...

Success!! Neighbour finally phoned this morning - said that lock is a problem and they usually leave it unlocked, but their house-sitter must have locked it, and I was given the dodgiest key. She reassured me about the cats but said I should PUSH hard on the door while unlocking it. I tried, with no luck, but asked one of the workmen from next door to have a go, and after a bit of effort he got the door open.

Cats were still alive - and very pleased to see me!

So a happy ending - thanks for all your help with this one

smashing

Phew what a relief for you !!

Thank god for hefty workmen eh??!

glad you've got the door sorted, what a relief!

just read this thread - glad there was a happy ending! I also would have suggested the police if you hadn't gotton in touch with your neighbours. I know they are just cats, but as you say, you can't just watch them starve!

Glad all is well.

As an aside, cats can last weeks without food and can go quite a few days (even a couplke of weeks without water). Apparently they are very good at altering there metabolism, and something else with there kidneys to preserve fluids and prevent dehydration. Or so our vet told us when we had a rather unfortunate incident with one of our cats a couple of years ago. To this day we are not sure what happened but he ended up closed in our bedroom for somewhere between 1 -2 weeks when we went on holiday (we had vairious different people coming to feed them and they didn't notice - we have a feeling our nanny's boyfriend when he came one day to do it when nanny couldn't had a nosey around the house and the cat sneaked into the bedroom without him noticing). Cat was thin when we got back but not ill and recovered within 24hours. I bedroom took a while longer to recover!

That's true, there are lots of stories of builders accidentally bricking cats into cavities in walls of houses that survive for weeks.

Oh that's good Wasn't impressed with the "it's just a cat" comment. As you can probably tell, I do rather like cats

sorry for my it's just a cat comment

SEA - tbh I thought you said it for a reaction.

I agree with you though, cat people are weird

i don't get cats if i'm honest but i did feed my neighbour's cat when he went away.

I get cats more than I do dogs

My dd1s cat was bricked into some foundations of a new build, she was missing for 4/5 weeks luckily a builder heard her,and they finally got her out,she was very thin but in good health,the vet said she had found mice,insects ect and some sort of moisture she is one very lucky cat

Thats good news!

Call RSPCA. They will advice about whether police can authorise/turn blind eye to break-in.

Great stuff! Glad all went well!

Glad all is ok

I did this the first time I ever left a cat, as I gave my neighbour my Mums door key - not mine

Luckily she had a spare bowl and just put food & water through the cat flap daily. I felt a prize idiot!!