I would never try to escape
Inspectors frequently have to deal with pets left at home at the time of inspection.
I really appreciate it when they are either gone or corralled somewhere in the house.
On a recent inspection the agent had warned me the cat would try to escape and sure enough, as soon at the door opened a crack the cat launched itself at the daylight.
I have seen lots of pets that wanted out, but this one was SERIOUS about it.
The cat was shooed away from the door and we all got inside. The inspection went without event except for one short term escape accomplished by the cat.
At the end of the inspection, the agents all left and the inspection of the exterior continued. This is not my normal protocol but this was a large apartment building and we saved the exterior for last.
The cat’s unit was on the 3rd floor, end unit. The walkway ended at the entryway door and the bedroom window was located just past the end of the walkway guard railing. As I approached the end of the walkway the cat launched itself onto the window screen and started clawing at the screen with a vengeance.
The damaged screen
The screen came undone along the edge and was ripped open vertically.
I tried to push the cat off the screen and into the room but the cat was having none of that and just clung and scratched at the screen even harder.
Eventually I was able to reach between the cat and the screen and pull the window shut– successfully bumping kitty off the screen and into the room.
The cat was not aware of it, but I probably kept it from using up one of its nine lives by saving it from a 3 story fall to the concrete below.
But I want OUT!
I called the listing agent to let the cat’s owner know about the damaged screen and that the window was no longer adequate to prevent escape of the beast.
Sometimes cats just want out.
Please don’t leave your pets for the inspector to deal with.
Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle
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