Help! I need some housing ideas!

8whiskers

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I am a mommy to 8 wonderful kitties. They are my furry kids, and I derive so much joy, peace and emotional support from them. At this time in my life, I really need that, because I am going through a major transition and I need some advice!

When my DH and I bought our current house 2.5 years ago, we had 4 cats. The house is really big, we made good money and so we ended up adopting 4 more. Mostly his fault, as he would point out the shelter cats no one else wanted when we went to buy food and supplies, knowing full well I am a total sucker for cats and can't stand to see one in distress if I can provide it a good loving home. It seemed fine to have 8 cats - we were going to be together forever and in this big house for many many years.

In comes the curve ball: I caught my DH doing things on the internet he shouldn't be doing, more than once. He lost his job and had a mental meltdown. He pretty much abandoned me to clean up the mess. My mortgage company has jerked me around to the point that my credit is now in the toilet, and I won't be able to keep my house. My marriage and my dream home are going down the drain, and I must pick up the pieces and move on.

The problem is, who is going to rent to me with the rotten credit my mortgage company has left me with AND 8 cats? I live in the Denver, Colorado area, and I'm desperate for ideas. It's simply not an option to give any of them up, I can still care for them, but at this tumultuous time in my life where I'm losing everything else, I simply can't bear to lose even one member of my furry family. The only way I'm even getting through the day to day is knowing that they are all here.

If anyone has a suggestion, idea, thought, comment on what I can do to find housing I can afford and will take us all in, I'd be grateful. I've asked my vet if she knows anyone, my real estate agent, and everyone else I can think of.

I'm hoping that the people on this site will understand how much my cats mean to me, and that although it seems like an easy fix to other people to just "get rid of some of them" (like they were so much trash) but those of us who consider our cats family know that's a lot easier said than done. As long as I can keep them healthy and happy, I need each and every one of them.

Please, can anyone help me? I ask that you be gentle with your comments, and all perspectives would be appreciated. Thank you!
 

white cat lover

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I'm not sure I can offer much advice. I can offer my sympathies....I've been looking into rentals for myself (plus 5 cats & 1 small dog) to little avail. Most places won't rent to be because I have too many & my cats are not declawed.
 

blueyedgirl5946

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Maybe someone would rent you a place if you agreed to make some kind of enclosure in the yard for the cats. I know that is probably not your preference, however not many people want to rent their property to someone with eight cats. I am so sorry that things are tough for you now and I do hope you find a solution and be able to keep the fur babies.
 

clpeters23

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I did a google search for "cat friendly housing colorado" and there were quite a few links to search engines for people with pets looking for places to live. I wish I could be more help!
 

icklemiss21

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http://www.ddfl.org/pawsearch.asp
You don't say what area of Colorado you are in, but the search engine has various cities/towns

I find with more pets, private rentals are more likely to rent to you than apartment buildings with set policies. Most places will allow up to the pet limit set by the city or state (here it is 4 pets total but is not strongly enforced, so check your local bylaws)
 

Winchester

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Offer to pay a security deposit for your cats, maybe even a larger security deposit (I know that's hard when you don't have a lot of money to start with).

I'm sorry you're going through this. I hope you can find something for you and your babies.
 

abbycats

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I used to live in the Denver area. I never told the landlords how many cats I had or if I did it wasn't the real amount. It's always best to be honest but in my case I did what I thought was best for the cats and our survival at the time. I'm going to be renting our house in Nebraska at the end of the month. I told our renters that cats are fine as long as they are spay/neutered and they are responsible owners. My main concern is that our house doesn't get destroyed by 2 legged creatures and that they pay rent on time.
 
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8whiskers

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Thanks everyone for all the feedback and support. The ddfl.org site did have a link to some cat friendly rentals, so I bookmarked it for when I need it.

I have had a lot of people tell me to "fudge" the number of cats that I actually have (including my vet!). Fortunately, six of my babies are Torties, and no one seems to be able to tell the difference (don't know why, they all look totally different to me, but then again, I AM their momma!). Shyla won't be seen by anyone but me, so I'm not too worried about her (although she is my only gray and white kitty). Louie is black, he's always out in the windows, but the others I might be able to get away with saying they're pretty much all one cat. As long as no one takes a really close look at their front paws. They all wear Soft Paws and each kitty has a different color. Maybe people will just continue to think I'm a total wierdo and paint my cats' toenails. Yeah, that's it!

Again, thanks for the support - it's greatly appreciated! I send my heartfelt thanks and my furry monsters send their loudest purrs out to you all! :-)
 
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