Essex woman Emma Slade found out the hard way that a wild fox makes for a terrible house guest, after accidentally letting one in in the middle of the night.
Emma's unexpected visitor snuck in through the door when she opened it to let her dog out into the garden, but it wasn't until the morning that she realised who was hiding in her kitchen. Watch what happened here:
Mum Emma, 39, did hear some banging in the kitchen throughout the night, but assumed it was her daughter returning home after a night out.
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That's why she was so confused when she came downstairs that morning to find her entire kitchen trashed.
Not only had the bins been completely rooted through and the laundry tossed all over the place, but there was also a big pile of excrement in the middle of the floor.
The cleaner from Canvey Island, Essex, explained: "There was no real damage but all the washing was on the floor, bins on the floor and a lot of poo!
"There were flowers all over the sofa. It took three hours to clean up everything."
The mum-of-three was ready to blame the dog for the mess before she spotted a sleepy fox resting on the counter top.
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At first, everyone was a little wary about disturbing the wild animal.
"I was quite scared at first, but it didn't even flinch or want to move at all," said Emma.
But eventually, her daughter's boyfriend Mason plucked up the courage to pick up the fox and boot it out the door.
All in all, it took three hours for Emma and her family to clean up the mess that the wily fox had made.
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"Next time I hear banging in the night I might get up and check!" Emma laughed.
"I thought it was my daughter and her boyfriend coming in, but it was actually a fox!
"I'm not the biggest fan of foxes as the night I moved in my rabbit was eaten by a fox, so maybe it's the same one."
After Emma posted a video of the unpleasant surprise on social media, friends told her to consider calling the RSPCA.
By then, though, it was too late and the little lost fox was long gone, thanks to Emma's daughter's boyfriend.
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And there's no chance this fox is getting invited back over to Emma's house any time soon.
"I've kept my backdoor shut since!" she's promised.
Ali Condon