Baby Seal Enters Home Through Pet Door, 'Traumatizes' Cat

A fur seal puppy broke into a property and hung out on the ground floor for a couple of hours just unwinding. The home's young residents aged 10 and 12 were on another floor, unaware that they have an unexpected visitor.

The incident reportedly happened Wednesday morning in Mt Maunganui, a suburban city on the north island of New Zealand. The home was situated just 150 meters from the shore, and the seal had entered through a pet door, reported The Guardian.

The homeowner's pet cat, named Coco, was the first to know of its presence. It fled to the neighbors immediately, quite an unusual display of behavior as felines are generally curious. It has continued to remain "traumatized" by the break-in, the report said.

A video, filmed by one of the residents, showed the seal in their hallway.

Phil Ross, who was not at home at the time, said he feel missed out.

"The big joke is that this is really the only family emergency where it would be useful to have a marine biologist in the house," said Phil, who was a marine biologist by profession. "I really missed my time to shine."

Phil's wife Jenn was the first person to spot the seal. She first dismissed the seal's cry as a dog's bark and left for the gym.

"As she got in the car, something barked from underneath and shuffled away. She thought it was someone's dog ... and didn't really think too much of it," Phil said, adding that Jenn returned an hour later and found a "cute little seal" when she entered the house.

"It got a bit of a fright and humped its way down the hallway into the spare room," Phil said. "The cat would have gone to defend its territory and obviously the seal wasn't as intimidated as some dogs are, so Coco must have bolted around the side of the house, into the catflap, and the seal must have followed her."

"They thought it was cool and pretty exciting but were totally oblivious to the fact that ... not many of their mates would have seals come to visit them in their houses," he said. Jenn later released it into the garden.

The family nicknamed it "Oscar" which means "loved friend." It is a longstanding tradition in the community to give seals that name. Phil said Oscar proved to be a well-behaved guest and didn't ruin anything in the home.

Speaking of his cat, Phil said Coco refused to be downstairs after returning home from the neighbors because it was "clearly pretty traumatized." Seals wandering off to residential areas this time of the year isn't atypical. "I guess, like all teenagers, they don't necessarily make sensible decisions," Phil said.

According to New Zealand's Department of Conservation, seals can be found in unusual places such as backyards, drains and streets. People should not intervene and should leave them alone.