CAT stolen last night - what should I do? (uk)

Replace with an aftermarket cat which will cost you less than the 250 Excess.
It won't fail the MOT because the MOT does not check emissions on hybrids in the UK.
Don't go near Toyota and ask them to do it. Ask around for a local guy.
It won't get stolen again because aftermarkets aren't worth anything.

 

Talk to your insurancer. This is precisely what comprehensive insurance is for. If you’re punished for making a claim of this nature I’d raise hell.

In the States at least, aftermarket Cat’s are being taken, sometimes: thieves working fast, maybe not too bright, in dead of night.

 

American cat thieves generally work in the dark and dead of night to avoid getting shot. British thieves have little worry about getting shot, so can work in daytime when there is more light to evaluate the cat before taking it.

Separately, I wouldn't take the brightness (or lack thereof) of American thieves as a proxy for British thieves. With different opportunities and selection pressures, they could well get a different class of perps.

 

I've spoken to a couple of mechanics who have fitted lots of aftermarket cats by now, Toyota and even more Honda jazz (which are more prevalent apparently) and they've never heard of an aftermarket one being taken.
You can try your insurance but the only way that would be of any use is if you go to toyota and have the real one put back which will cost a lot more but you'd still have to pay the £250 excess. Then you'd have one that might certainly get stolen again so what's the point.
Go for the aftermarket.

 

One deterrent mentioned here recently, was to festoon the cut zones with pipe clamps. This article was linked:

RockAuto November Newsletter | Early Edition

(lots of interesting reads in that archive btw)

 

Greetings!
I'm not going to pretend to tell you how to deal with your insurance agent because regulations in your country are probably different than mine but your agent should be able to advise you.

One thing I can say with authority is that if you are allowed to fit an aftermarket catalytic converter to your car it should work quite well. I would have this done at a muffler (exhaust?) shop and I would also ask the mechanic if it might be a good idea to tack weld some metal rods to the pipe to make them a little harder to cut through. They should have plenty of scrap bits laying about and this should not cost more than an extra 5-10 GBP.

Good Luck!