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Burgler Alarm, Cats, and Insurance!


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Wonder if any of you can help / advise...

 

I have a fitted Alarm system but we have not used the Alarm since we got two Cats, thinking they might set it off all the time, but that seems a bit silly and I'm sure people with pets don't all have to avoid using their Alarms.. Are they likely to trigger it - I'd have thought so.

 

With respect to contents insurance,

 

1) would not using the Alarm then getting robbed nullify any claim?

2) would declaring I don't have an alarm and chaning the policy be ok? - i.e. would they nullify any claim due to not using the Alarm because I had one even though I did not declare it? - (what the heck can I do then?).....

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good question- we had this problem with our cats and now that we own a barmy bengal who spends most of his time trying to scale the walls, climb the curtains and generally swing from the light fittings, having the alarm switched on is a general non-no- but owning a doberman kind of makes up for not having the alarm switched on.

 

When we looked at replacing the alarm, it seemed like none of the alternative systems could cope with pets being at more than a metre above floor level, so I dunno what the answer is and would be as interested as your good self to hear if any alarms can cope with cats

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Lots of alarms give you the option of pet sensors which tolelrate a bit more movement. Unless your house insurance specfies that you have an alarm then it wont make any difference if it's not on and you make a claim. Most alarms don't get a reduction in house insurance, only really expensive ones.

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When I got my burglar alarm fitted I got motion sensors and pressure mats fitted in the rooms where the cats aren't allowed when I'm not in, and door contacts fitted on all of the doors which are closed to allow the cats free run of the rest of the house (which is only 3 rooms and the stairs).

 

This means that the alarm can be set with the cats in the house and no worry that they're going to set it off (the only small risk is if they set off the window sensors by banging on the window too hard whilst climbing the curtains).

 

An alternative to that is to get an alarm which allows you to set the full alarm or just the perimeter, which means that you can choose to just have the exterior doors and windows set if the cats are indoors.

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For the alarm, we have fitted 'pets sensors' which, if i remember right, detect all movement but only over a certain size of object, no matter what its height.

Our kitty (my avatar) has never set the alarm off, she sleeps on anything and walks anywhere high or low.

 

The guys in the SS alarm shop (near bramall lane i think) are great and offered loads of advice - go and have a chat!!

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Our house insurance states that if we have a burglar alarm (which we do) and it is not turned on, then our insurance is invalid. We too have door contacts on the exterior doors, and we can also turn off 'zones' on the alarm eg kitchen etc, so we can put our cat in one room and turn the zone off in that particular room. It's worked well for the last 10 years or so, and means we don't invalidate the insurance

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