Laughter as Cat Stops Landlord From Entering Owner's Home Without Notice

A cat has been praised for the way she stopped her owner's landlord from entering the house without notice.

Dubbed a "fluffy security system" by her owner online, Toast the cat was caught on camera meowing and yowling as the man tries to enter the house.

With more than 70,000 upvotes on Reddit, the video has delighted viewers who were in stitches at the unusual cat behavior.

"Good security kitty," said Redditor 247ToBReal, while Feline_Shenanigans wrote: "Kitty knows how to defend their turf. Looks like you have a purrfect intruder alarm."

The video was captured thanks to the owner's motion-sensitive pet camera positioned in the home while they are at work.

Cats are territorial animals by nature, often establishing and defending their home territory.

When they consider a place their home, they will often exhibit behaviors to mark their territory, including marking spaces with their scent. Glands in their face, paws and tail can all help to spread their unique cat scent—effectively working as a warning to any other animals that may come by.

If they feel their space is threatened, cats can vocalize—much like Toast in the viral video—to warn off potential intruders. Cats can even become aggressive when they feel their territory is threatened.

Cat behaviorist and author of Let's Talk About Cats Anita Kelsey told Newsweek: "Cats can be territorial in the home, but it is a behavior issue whose foundation is stress and cats with this issue need to be worked with to help them be calmer and share space without aggressive responses."

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) suggests that the best way to prevent territorial behavior is to have your cat spayed or neutered.

In a follow-up post, the cat's owner explained: "They were fixing a pipe in my garage—downstairs, separate entrance—and tried to enter the apartment to let the air out of the pipes when they finished, so that the faucets wouldn't be sputtering when I got home.

"I knew they were working in the garage but they hadn't asked to enter the apartment. I only found out they tried after checking the camera, which is when I also found out I have a 4-legged security system," they added.

The poster explained that they spoke to the landlord and all was well: "I let them know I needed 24-hour notice prior to entry in the future. They apologized, said it will never happen again, & complimented my security guard (cat) for a job well done."

In a series of comments on the viral post, people shared their reaction to the cat's behavior, and of course some well-placed jokes.

"No warrant? You get the claws!" wrote user midnight_g00se.

"Give him a promotion immediately," said GlitteryBorko, while user EmperorHenry said: "Good kitty! Landlords need to learn they can't just do whatever they want."

Newsweek reached out to the poster u/yaylorbus via Reddit for comment.

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