Selling House - Showing with Cats

Hi all,

I have a difficult situation. I am being relocated 950 miles away from my home. I have put my house up for sale and I have 6 cats living in it. Any suggestions for how to handle having your house shown with cats? My realtor asked if I could take them out of the house. (Not an option) We have done everything we can to minimize the footprint of having 6 cats. We can't board them...we can't move them yet.... Is there a way to stage the house where the cats won't be viewed as a problem ?

Any ideas?

Thanks
SystemXpert.

I know someone with multiple cats who had a similar situation when they wanted to sell their house. When they were showing the house, this person put the cats in one large area (I believe it was a room in their basement) along with an air purifier. They ensured the litter boxes were clean before the house was shown. While they are sure they lost out on some offers because some people simply don't want to buy a home that has many animals in it, I doubt that was really the case. Just ensure the area is as clean and tidy (and smell free) as you can before showing the house.

Yes, I would agree with that. Try to confine them to one area, so they aren't roaming freely around the house, whenever you have a viewing.

Originally Posted by LokisMum

Yes, I would agree with that. Try to confine them to one area, so they aren't roaming freely around the house, whenever you have a viewing.

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And obviously have everything cleaned and scooped before any viewings as well.

I just sold my house. I only have two cats. We either tried to take them with us, which rarely happened, or just confined them to the basement. Occasionally, the house was shown with them roaming around. We did move their litterboxes and dismantled one of them. Then I did a thorough cleaning of the room they were stored in. If I had the time when the house was being shown, I would use the apple/cinannmon trick and make the house pleasantly fragrant.

I also moved their cat trees to the basement and moved all pet toys to the garage.

The people the ended up buying the house actually had children with allergies. They requested a pet dander carpet treatment and furnace cleaning, but that's it.

make sure to air out the house befor hand because people who don't have pets can smell them a mile away. Also disguise the litter and make sure there are no litter bits on the floor, you may also want to make sure the cats food area is clean with a clean rug on the floor etc. Make things as tidy and smell free as possible

Would it be possible to relocate the kitties to a garage for the short time of the house showing so that the house can be aired out and smelling fresh?

hee hee - laughing at this thread as apparantly the cats were the big selling point in our house!!!! The little daughter of the lady who has bought the house told her Mummy that she really wanted the 'kitty cat's house'!!!!! They offered the full amount on the spot!!!

Good luck with yours!!

Originally Posted by SystemXpert

Hi all,

I have a difficult situation. I am being relocated 950 miles away from my home. I have put my house up for sale and I have 6 cats living in it. Any suggestions for how to handle having your house shown with cats? My realtor asked if I could take them out of the house. (Not an option) We have done everything we can to minimize the footprint of having 6 cats. We can't board them...we can't move them yet.... Is there a way to stage the house where the cats won't be viewed as a problem ?

Any ideas?

Thanks
SystemXpert.

Click to expand...

When my husband and I sold our house, we had four cats. We put the litter boxes in the back yard and put them each in a carrier before we left (right before the showing). We were able to do that because I was in school and usually home. If you don't have that option, maybe you could set them up in a spare bedroom or something for the day and put a sign on the door... "Don't let the cats out, please."

Our realtor wasn't about too happy with us either... but whatever. What are you going to do, you know?

Good luck!

I've sold 2 homes with pets. The first had 5 dogs and 7 cats and last year we sold one with 2 dogs and 13 cats. We removed the pets both times but had to get very creative about it.

For the first one we moved 800 miles, and DH and I lived apart for 9 months while trying to sell the old house. My BIL fostered 2 of the cats and I brought 4 cats up to the new location - kept 2 in an apartment and the other 2 with a co-worker foster. The dogs were kept outside in a fenced yard. That left 1 cat around the house which was OK with the realtor (the cat actually showed up after we moved the other 6 cats and she was mostly outdoor anyway). We drove up some cats and flew up others. Last trip up had the 5 dogs and 3 cats in a cargo van.

The last house we simply bought the new place, moved in, then put our old house on the market. It was so much easier, but we only moved about 60 miles this time around.

You would be surprised at the number of folks that would be willing to foster your babies during a move like this. The real estate market isn't the best right now and you need all the advantages that you can find.

im going thru the same thing, however i only have 2, i just take them with me,I have one that will lay in the carrier and has no problem with going in it, But then once we are in the car NONE STOP MEOWING, and sometimes paws going hundred miles hour trying to get out, And my other one he knows what will be happening and will hide hours before hand, he likes his carrier to but  then puts up such a fight to go in the carrier, and takes 20 min sometimes, but then once hes in there he quiet, just lays there. if its me and my husband we go do our shopping wile one of us sits in the car, and i let my cat out  so he can stop meowing constant, (still randomly meows in the car but will relax more and lay down) so thats what i do, there really isnt much you can do, when some realtors require not to have pets home, such a pain to get rid of all traces of cats, the posts, litter food, toys, all that moved, and puts alot of stress on them. and doing tthis about 10 times now, anyday now but couldnt imagine doing it with 6, so prob not ideal for you, unless u have a motor home or van so its not over crowded, 

someone with some cash needs to open a kitty play haven. Like a doggy park, we have those everywhere, but nowhere to go with our cats!

The best is in the best basement if you have a room there, cats would be comfortable. It needs to open  the window so they'll get fresh air (it depends where you live though) put foods, water, toys, blankets and littering boxes. The garage too, some of my friends, they keep their babies there while they have some people to visit their house. Try to check your babies every 10 or 15 minutes if they are okay, cats would not very happy but assuring them everything is alright would help them to be comfortable.

Good luck....

Relax - I mean do the best you can to minimize the cat smells - but don't worry too much about it. We just went house hunting and must have looked at 50 houses - I would say at least half had a cat or cats and it usually it was fine. Most people will have carpets and draperies cleaned or taken out when they buy a house, so only dumb buyers wouldn't be able to see / smell past that. 

I would be more worried about a kitty getting out and agree with putting them in one room, if possible, with a sign on the outside of the door. Many places we saw had the cats roaming free, and the selling realtors never seemed careful enough to us. Some would stand in the front door way with the door open, talking to us, with the "please keep cat inside" sign on it, so we would push our way in and close the door. 

We always liked the friendly kitties, and some of the houses had nice features for them like big window sills and an out-of-the way litterbox area, that type of thing. Bear in mind many buyers have a cat or two themselves, so they won't be put off unless the house smells like pee or otherwise unkempt. 

Oh and please don't use that Febreze crap - if odors are that bad, a good cleaning company needs to be brought in. I could always smell the animal and the Febreze, when it was used, then we would have to leave since it triggers my asthma. The houses that we immediately disregarded were the ones I couldn't even spend time in to look!

Good luck! Sounds like you are moving out of Texas.  

I had a realtor friend. She told me it was not unusual to be showing a house, not even knowing a cat was there. When she took the prospective buyers into the bedroom, there would be a big lump in the middle of the bed under the covers. How well I know about that. :lol3:

We used to live in a rental house while we were building our house. There were three conditions that we specified: 1) We required a 24-hour notice of ANYBODY coming to look at the house, 2) Absolutely NOBODY could view the house when we were not home, and 3) They were not allowed to put a lock box on the front door either. We had Hydrox at the time and I didn't trust anybody not to let the cat out of the house. 

The realtors tried their best to get us out of the house prior to showings. I refused to leave. We used to have realtors show up at 7:00 in the morning with clients without prior notice, saying that they were from out of the area and that was the only time they could view the house. Not my circus, not my monkeys. They didn't get in without that notice. And they didn't get in at all when we weren't there. Those realtors hated me with a passion. I didn't care....it was more important to make sure the cat stayed in the house.

Winchester said:

We used to live in a rental house while we were building our house. There were three conditions that we specified: 1) We required a 24-hour notice of ANYBODY coming to look at the house, 2) Absolutely NOBODY could view the house when we were not home, and 3) They were not allowed to put a lock box on the front door either. We had Hydrox at the time and I didn't trust anybody not to let the cat out of the house. 

The realtors tried their best to get us out of the house prior to showings. I refused to leave. We used to have realtors show up at 7:00 in the morning with clients without prior notice, saying that they were from out of the area and that was the only time they could view the house. Not my circus, not my monkeys. They didn't get in without that notice. And they didn't get in at all when we weren't there. Those realtors hated me with a passion. I didn't care....it was more important to make sure the cat stayed in the house.

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Winchester My experience was similar with my cats who lived in the enclosed fenced area. Both gates were kept locked. The gas company hated that. They wanted to be able to stop and keep checking the tank for our gas logs to keep it filled. I refused to leave the gates unlocked and told them the only way to get in my yard there was to call them first. When the pest control people came, same deal.
I know how men get busy, leave gate open, etc. It just wasn't going to happen. Lose my cat, then I have to hurt you. :lol3:

blueyedgirl5946 said:

@Winchester My experience was similar with my cats who lived in the enclosed fenced area. Both gates were kept locked. The gas company hated that. They wanted to be able to stop and keep checking the tank for our gas logs to keep it filled. I refused to leave the gates unlocked and told them the only way to get in my yard there was to call them first. When the pest control people came, same deal.
I know how men get busy, leave gate open, etc. It just wasn't going to happen. Lose my cat, then I have to hurt you.

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That's pretty much the way it is!   I remember years ago when our son was small, he accidentally let Hydrox out the front door. It was at night, Hydrox was black....not a good situation. To make it worse, we had company and everybody was running around outside, yelling, "Hydrox! Hydrox!" Well, Hydrox didn't answer to that name. I always called him Pudder. And 20 people running around outside isn't conducive to finding a kitty. So I finally told everybody to get back in the house and hush up. Everybody went inside. I sat out on the front step and started talking to Pudder. Very quietly. And within about five minutes, he came out from behind a bush, walked over and flopped down on my lap. Whew! That was the only time a cat has ever gotten out....I'm a real bear about it. Whenever people come to the house, I always say, "Make sure the door is shut, please." "Don't forget to shut the door!" My sister says if she ever finds a sign about not letting the cat out, she's going to buy it and nail it to our front door! 

Let my cat out? I'll have to kill you. And then where will I be? 

Winchester said:

That's pretty much the way it is! :lol3:  I remember years ago when our son was small, he accidentally let Hydrox out the front door. It was at night, Hydrox was black....not a good situation. To make it worse, we had company and everybody was running around outside, yelling, "Hydrox! Hydrox!" Well, Hydrox didn't answer to that name. I always called him Pudder. And 20 people running around outside isn't conducive to finding a kitty. So I finally told everybody to get back in the house and hush up. Everybody went inside. I sat out on the front step and started talking to Pudder. Very quietly. And within about five minutes, he came out from behind a bush, walked over and flopped down on my lap. Whew! That was the only time a cat has ever gotten out....I'm a real bear about it. Whenever people come to the house, I always say, "Make sure the door is shut, please." "Don't forget to shut the door!" My sister says if she ever finds a sign about not letting the cat out, she's going to buy it and nail it to our front door! 

Let my cat out? I'll have to kill you. And then where will I be? 

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Winchester That is what I really wanted to say too. I didn't have the nerve, but since you said it, "I am quoting you."

blueyedgirl5946 said:

@Winchester That is what I really wanted to say too. I didn't have the nerve, but since you said it, "I am quoting you."

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@blueyedgirl5946, GMTA!  

Winchester said:

 
That's pretty much the way it is! 

 I remember years ago when our son was small, he accidentally let Hydrox out the front door. It was at night, Hydrox was black....not a good situation. To make it worse, we had company and everybody was running around outside, yelling, "Hydrox! Hydrox!" Well, Hydrox didn't answer to that name. I always called him Pudder. And 20 people running around outside isn't conducive to finding a kitty. So I finally told everybody to get back in the house and hush up. Everybody went inside. I sat out on the front step and started talking to Pudder. Very quietly. And within about five minutes, he came out from behind a bush, walked over and flopped down on my lap. Whew! That was the only time a cat has ever gotten out....I'm a real bear about it. Whenever people come to the house, I always say, "Make sure the door is shut, please." "Don't forget to shut the door!" My sister says if she ever finds a sign about not letting the cat out, she's going to buy it and nail it to our front door! 

Let my cat out? I'll have to kill you. And then where will I be? 

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i know this thread is a couple of months old, but wanted to let you know i've seen signs like that at amazon.com

here, here and here

ive considered getting one myself. guests constantly forget./