What Is a Cat Burglar and How to Safeguard Your Home

Barring jokes about unwelcome felines, the definition of “cat burglar” is that it’s a term used to describe an individual who burgles houses by entering via an upper storey. The word “cat” implies that the person is rather agile and stealthy, but although most burglars like to use stealth, not all cat burglars are agile. 

In this article, you’ll discover how most cat burglars and thieves operate, how they achieve their sneaky entrances, and what you can do to stop them from targeting your home.  

Should You Be Worried About Cat Burglars?

In terms of worry levels, you need not be more worried about so-called cat burglars (meaning upper-storey burglars) than any other kind of burglar. All the same, UK burglary statistics are cause for concern. 

Bringing another animal, this time an elephant, into the room, many people are not sufficiently worried about burglary in general. This makes them easy targets - until they become one. 

The most common route for burglars to enter a home is through a front or back door. Very often, they don’t even need to break in. The door is unlocked or a key is conveniently left nearby, and the burglar simply walks in and helps themselves. 

When the easiest avenues are closed, burglars look for other routes, even if they are a little more difficult to navigate. This brings us to cat burglars and the mystery of how they gain access to those upper floors. 

Do Cat Burglars Scale Walls Like Spiderman?

Part of the myth that surrounds cat burglars is their seeming ability to reach an upper storey without leaving a trace. Some people even believe they climb brickwork using nothing but their fingers and toes. Although some cat burglars no doubt have excellent climbing abilities, their usual route is rather more mundane. 

Opportunistic Burglar

Picture this scenario. A burglar checks out a home that looks as if it might contain valuables. The doors are locked, and the lower-story windows are secured. But an upper window is left invitingly open or doesn’t seem as well protected, or a balcony door looks easier to bypass than the downstairs ones. Getting in could be as simple as getting up there. 

Now, your burglar has to climb the walls like a cat! Except, they need not. Your garage or shed is likely to contain a ladder. Garages and sheds are often not well-secured, so it’s a matter of minutes before they slip in through unlocked or open windows or balcony doors.

Most burglars will bring a few simple tools along in case they need to force a weak lock or pry a window open. With their “business” done, the cat burglar leaves, sometimes considerately returning your ladder to the spot where they found it before making their escape. 

Professional Burglar

Professional burglars are more likely to plan ahead before breaking in. Like opportunists, they will choose the easiest route. They will begin by assessing the ground floor, but some people are very particular about lower floor security - less so with upper floors. 

If an upper storey looks like the easiest way in, your professional burglar turns cat burglar, but is still likely to prefer a ladder - yours, or possibly one stowed inside their van. 

How Can You Prevent a Cat Burglar From Entering Your Home?

Police will share similar burglary facts to the ones we highlight here - but we have tried to be comprehensive, adding greater detail and tips for security that surpass mere adequacy. Follow them, and there is a good chance you’ll have the most secure home in your neighbourhood. Remember: the tougher your defenses, the less likely you’ll be to fall victim to a burglar - cat or otherwise. 

Be Vigilant and Build Neighborhood Relationships

When you are away, it’s great knowing you can rely on your neighbours to report any suspicious activity around your house that they might notice. You can do the same for them. Build good relationships and have each other’s contact numbers to call and check if something looks odd. 

Being security conscious on a very basic level can go a long way toward keeping your home safe. Simple things like locking doors, locking windows (especially when you are out) and not leaving keys hidden near your front door are already great first steps.

Raise your vigilance if you spot suspicious-looking people who claim to have a legitimate reason to be in your yard or a neighbour’s. Burglars sometimes pose as workmen to lull suspicions. 

Secure Your Yard

Good, see-through palisade fencing and security gates help to keep burglars out of your yard. Try to keep a clear line of sight between your home and the street. This leaves burglars feeling exposed to passersby and acts as a deterrent. At night, security lights with motion sensors add to their sense of unease, but they may still approach your home from the rear or side where they’re less likely to be seen. 

You can secure back and side perimeters with physical barriers, but you should still pay special attention to windows and doors at the back of your house. Someday, a burglar might do the same thing. Don’t leave opportunities open. 

Invest in a Good Alarm System and CCTV

CCTV isn’t foolproof - after all, a burglar can cover their face or pull a hoodie over it. All the same, cameras are especially helpful when you’re home and think there may be an intruder in your yard. Unfortunately, when footage is checked after a break-in, it often tells homeowners more about what happened than who did it.

Alarm systems can be a very effective deterrent - especially if a burglar triggers them. You can also consider perimeter alarms armed at night to detect and deter intruders. When linked to a control centre that alerts the police, alarms can be especially handy when nobody is at home. 

If you fit alarms, don’t forget to include upper windows. Police say that burglars sometimes target upper floors because they notice that homeowners only fitted alarms to ground-floor windows. Unfortunately, most alarms will only go off if a burglar manages to break in. It is best to prevent this from happening altogether. We’ll explore this next.  

Choose Effective Security Doors

Security doors need not look unwelcoming, and you need not mar your entrance with cage-like sliding security doors. Security doors featuring metal-reinforced door frames and interiors covered with high-quality engineered wood look superb and don’t require much maintenance. 

Love those bright and airy aluminum and glass sliding doors? They can still be secure when you choose a high-quality product designed with security and good looks as twin priorities. 

Round off your security with security-certified multi-point locking systems and all your home’s doors will ward off determined attacks by burglars armed with tools. Carry this through to rear doors, entryways leading from garages, patio doors, and balcony doors. 

Keep Tools Out of Reach of Burglars

Garage doors are often not very secure, and garages often contain doors that lead into your home. They also contain tools that, in themselves, can be worth stealing, or can be used in attempts to break and enter. Security garage doors solve the problem, presenting burglars with a formidable obstacle.

Secure Your Windows

Now to address those “cats” whether they prefer to slip in through upper or lower-storey windows. Important elements to keep windows secure without blocking your view include reinforced window frames, strong locking systems, and impact-resistant glass. To meet the needs of modern homeowners who want to combine elegance with security, Stronghold Security Doors makes both security casement windows and security sash windows.

Secure Your Home With Stronghold Security Doors and Windows

Now you know what a cat burglar is, plus you have learned some of the common ways burglars operate. Contact us if you are ready to secure your home and would like to find out more about bespoke security doors and security windows. We are proud of the way we combine modern or classic styling with certified, police-approved design and security features. 

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