Cat locked in empty neighbours house – advice needed

Cat goes missing Saturday night. He's got an electronic tracker fitted to his collar so Sunday morning I trace the signal to a house 8 or 9 doors up the road. Don't know them & they're not in. Next door neighbour says they're away, not sure for how long but she's left a message on their mobile No.

Their house has a catflap (they have no cat though) and the tracker definitely thinks he's in there, but no sight of him and no response.

Either he's had an accident, crawled in there and can't move much, or he's died in there, or he's somehow locked in a room in there or he's elsewhere but lost his collar in there.

Left a note through the door. It's early Mon Morning now & neighbours not back so do the Police / RSPCA etc have any right of entry ?
What do I do…
(we will be ringing the Police in the morning)

open catflap, call cat. Take cats favourite food with you, wave enticingly at the open catflap. If the house has soft warm places and lady cats, he might take a while.

I wouldn't panic though. Cats go missing for days on end, it's what they do. I know if tiggy went missing I wouldn't start worrying until she'd been gone a week. Chances are your cat goes there all the time but comes back regular when the owners come home. Now they're out for a while, he's having a nice rest/shag/eat.

Either he's had an accident, crawled in there and can't move much, or he's died in there

Highly unlikely imo. Cats if mortally injured or very ill, will do whatever they can to get back to their own home to die. It certainly wouldn't want to go into a strange house.

Unlikely too imo, although not impossible, is that it's locked itself in a room. A bit more likely is that the cat flap is set to allow the cat in, but not out. If that's the case, prop it open with a stick or something.

I guess I'm being pessimistic because their garden backs onto a busy road & this time last year he was lucky to keep his leg after a collision with a car.

I've called through the catflap but no answer. He has no trouble getting out of our catflap when it's on in only. I'll try propping it with a stick though, and a rattly box of snacks. Cheers guys.

Just keep monitoring his location and calling him, maybe get a ladder and see if you can spot him in other windows if neighbours are aware you're not a cat burglar. Are you sure the tracker is correct, it's my experience that happy homey cats rarely run off for days unless there's a stress in their home (new cat, or moved home). Maybe he has shed his collar (ours used to get them off all the time) and it has been found and is in the house?

That said, cat I know of recently dissappeared for 2 days, turned out he'd chased a mouse into a neighbours house and was stuck under their kitchen cupboards unable to find his way out.

I don't think you have any right of access in any way, but if you break in be prepared to pay for the repairs and leave the house as you found it with a sorry note to the owners!

cats can survive for a long time on their own. One of mine went missing for three weeks once, got a bit concerned after several days had gone by. I eventually found him down the road where I used to live, I'd recently moved, kept cat in etc.. but when he got chance he went back. He was a bit bedraggled and thin but other than that fine.

Kev

cats can survive for a long time on their own.

If they have a source of water. Not if they're locked in a house or trapped in a cupboard, it's a fair concern.

worth calling the RSPCA and see if they can help?

yes coffeeking, obviously. but since the cat has not been seen in the house suggests he might not actually be in there. Of course he's concerened for his cat, I was just trying to put the guy at ease a little bit.

Kev

If it was my cat I suspect I would be breaking into the house and dealing with the consequences later, but I am totally soft about my cat. I would understand if somebody did it to me ! Put some food and water just inside the cat flap just in case.

And let us know what happens !

I'm sorry but breaking into someone's house for a cat is well out of order. I can understand that it's upsetting when a pet is missing but it's not an excuse for breaking the law.

I am aware of that – but I think I could live with the guilt – much better than I could if the cat died because I was worried about minor and reparable damage to somebody's house.

Have broken into my own house many times without causing any damage.

I'm sorry but breaking into someone's house for a cat is well out of order. I can understand that it's upsetting when a pet is missing but it's not an excuse for breaking the law.

Not if the cat is trapped/harmed. Hardly the end of the world to crack a small pane of glass and gain entry, then pay for the replacement. If someone *didn't* do that for their pet stuck in my home, for the sake of possibly offending me, I'd be more worried about them.

Frankly if anyone did that to my house for a cat, or any other pet for that matter, they'd be paying for all the costs including all conseqential damage as well as answering to the police.

Frankly if anyone did that to my house for a cat, or any other pet for that matter, they'd be paying for all the costs including all conseqential damage

That was already covered and accepted.

as well as answering to the police.

I suspect the police would rather you didn't bother for the sake of an obvious mercy mission in which all damages were already willingly paid for and repaired. But some people like wasting police time.

Och well if minor damage to property is more important to you than a loved pet then thats fine for you. I would rather somebody broke into my house than let their cat die any day. Lets hope it doesn't come to that.

Out of interest – what if it was a dog ? A small child ? The house was on fire ? At what point would it be OK for somebody to break a wee pane of glass in your precious house ?? Assuming they even need to – I have got into my own house using a wire coat hanger, and another house with the plastic milk bottle (empty) trick. I might be in your house right now typing this – and I'm about to wee on your bed…

OK I'm being silly now – but please rescue your cat !

I suspect gonefishin isn't an animal person 😉

Are the people who own that house Chinese?

Johnny Panic moves to red-level panic.

The police won't break into someone's house for a cat.

They might lock you up for doing it yourself though.

Hope your cat's ok.

But some people like wasting police time

and some people have respect for the property of others.

what if it was a dog ?

Nope that wouldn't be acceptable either.

A small child ?

A child is not a pet, although I'd probably still be calling someone as the parenting is clearly amiss somewhere if the child in question is allowed to crawl through the catflap of another persons house.

The house was on fire ?

The fire brigade might be the best bet in this instance as rushing into a buring building to save something or someone will almost certainly end badly for you.

I like animals well enough, although I am alergic to cats, I just don't hold to the thought that somehow person A's pet is more important than person B's property.

Send in a small dog to chase it out – cover all exits with a net.

Property is just bricks and mortar and expensive **** gadgets. People aren't suggesting breaking the bloody door down and ransacking the house.

Though, I'd want to be sure the cat was in there…

I might be in your house right now typing this – and I'm about to wee on your bed…

That was you!??
Thank **** for that. I thought the damp patch meant I'd have to start buying tenna pants.

I just don't hold to the thought that somehow person A's pet is more important than person B's property.

Well while I'm all for respecting peoples property, I'd put life before property any day. But not everyone does, clearly.

hora – Member

Are the people who own that house Chinese?

Your a very bad man… 😆

Imagine if you came home to find your house had been broken into just to sort out someone's errant bloody moggy. I'd certainly be pissed off.

You couldn't break into our house without causing significant damage, AND leaving it wide open for further burglars to walk in and help themselves. That is the reason I'd be very bloody annoyed indeed. How exactly would you secure the property again afterwards?

And I'm a cat owner.

Breaking in should be done with someone who knows the owner – hopefully a neighbour would agree. How much is the cat worth to you? As long as you'll repair the damage and have someone with you who know's the owner should be OK in the circumstances – though best find out if they're a friendly sort or they could get a bit aggressive….

Worth speaking to fire service, one of our roles is to 'render humanitarian services' so if you can prove the cat is in there enough I reckon you might be able to get someone in uniform to do it. Perhaps

You couldn't break into our house without causing significant damage, AND leaving it wide open for further burglars to walk in and help themselves. That is the reason I'd be very bloody annoyed indeed. How exactly would you secure the property again afterwards?

That's not really in question though is it, it has been covered by the owner willing to pay for repairs and re-securing the property, whatever that takes. One would assume they would not just smash a window and selotape some paper over it, leaving a fiver as compensation 🙄

Well while I'm all for respecting peoples property, I'd put life before property any day. But not everyone does, clearly.

So you value an animal life above property but will happily advocate killing an animal once it's "useful" life has passed.

coffeeking – Member
Tis nature at the end of the day, sad, but saves you wringing their necks when they stop laying I suppose.

Tell me, the cognative dissonance, does it hurt?

Actually – try knocking on their neighbours' doors – someone will likely have a key.

Tell me, the cognative dissonance, does it hurt?

FWIW I don't advocate killing the animal at all. It's the very reason I wouldn't keep chickens myself.

Actually – try knocking on their neighbours' doors – someone will likely have a key.

would be the sane first answer

Break who in..the cat? Saddle and stirrups?

Or you could always kick your neighbours backdoors in?

What a bizarre thread this has turned into.

I'm confident that if someone broke into my house to retrieve a cat, the police certainly wouldn't see it as a waste of their time if I demanded they were arrested for it and I'm with the chap above, if someone did do this I wouldn't hesitate to call the police. I don't care if they offered to pay for the damage. And yes, I'm an animal person.

There's at least one specific crime to cover this, breaking and entering, possibly trespass too. And then they had to convince you all that a)They had good cause and b) They've not nicked anything/**** into your underwear drawer. It's one of the craziest things I've heard of on here.

Imagine coming home to find someone in your house cooing "here kitty kitty" under your bed? You'd own 'em, bomber style.

Not sure what sort of a beast would want to do that into your drawer but anyway that's sort of the reason why I suggested should be done with a friend of the owner and checking they think it would be OK. I hate cats but wouldn't want to return to the rotting carcass of one that got stuck in a cupboard belonging to someone down the road.

It's a tricky one.
I don't know what would be more upsetting – finding a dead cat, or finding my neighbours admiring my goat fancier monthly back collection.

An englishman's house is indeed his castle.

Lets hope the cats alright hey.

To be hope the F*cking stupid tracking thing actually works properly….(they have been known to get interference or give false readings 😀 )

Otherwise your gonna be in big s*it if you break into someone's house and it isnt there.

And if you broke into my house (regardless of whether your cat is there or not) i would be looking to press charges/own you with bombers, ( i couldnt give a monkeys if you would pay to fix any damage! you wouldn't have permission to be there so you are breaking the law!!)