10/04/2026
In August 2022, a young New Zealand fur seal unexpectedly made its way into the Ross family’s home in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand.
The seal had apparently encountered the family’s cat, Coco, outside. Coco ran toward the house — and the seal followed her through two cat flaps, first entering the garage and then the house.
When Jenn Ross returned home around 7 a.m., she discovered the seal inside. It wandered through the house, eventually making its way into a spare room and climbing onto the couch. It even tried to get onto a standing desk.
Meanwhile, Coco had escaped to a neighbour’s property. After returning home, the cat was so shaken that she refused to go downstairs for several days.
Jenn contacted New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, and a ranger came to collect the seal and release it back into the sea.
The family’s story went viral, partly because Phil Ross is a marine biologist — although, ironically, he was away when the seal actually broke into the house.
This was not an injured or stranded seal: young fur seals commonly come ashore and explore inland during this period of the year.
