My babies may have to go to a new home

There's an area in the kitchen that is cracked and the paint is peeling from an earthquake that happened one or maybe two years ago -- They can't possibly blame that on me, can they?

I'll see if I can find anything about local laws. My cats haven't really destroyed anything other than MY furniture. They're really good about not clawing scratching or tearing up anything else. My husband is far more responsible for the destruction of the carpet (with his clumsy habit of spilling tomato sauce and drinks in the living room) than my cats ever could be!

I didn't have a sprayer, per se, but Loudmouth would squat on the beanbag chair I had and other similar surfaces when she was in heat. I really don't think there was ever anything on the walls/carpet, etc. But a Blacklight would find all that, right?

Yes a black-light will find that.

Damage caused by an earthquake was not your fault : )

Originally Posted by SamhainBorn

I've tried Nashville. They are full to bursting with the overflow from the surrounding areas. Kitten season, after all. I've been in contact with some of the "private" rescues, too, which are really just people like me with a bit more land, money, and freedom to do what they want. NO ONE has room for extra cats right now. --sigh -- this is so complicated and it's pathetic. The first time I brought a feral cat into a Clarksville vet's office and asked if they did TNR, they looked at me like I was crazy. The stray and especially the feral population out here is horrible.

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I simply couldn't bear the suffering of so many living creatures and not being able to support every stray that I find...May you be many times blessed for caring and putting your caring into action.

But in most cities with a problem that staggering, concerned cat-lovers or vets by now would have formed a Feral Cat Coalition to advocate for spay/neuter, humane laws, etc. Even 15 years ago living in Memphis I realized the Southeast was about 15-20 years behind the rest of the country in animal rescue education. Of course not having a shelter at all is more like the 19th Century.


Knoxville, on the other hand, is a great place to live that is literally overflowing with pet friendly organizations.

May you also have the good fortune to end up there someday !

I know it's is no where near an ideal situation, but what are the chances you could find someone decent on craigslist that would hold on to them for three weeks? Obviously you would have to be careful that it wasn't someone who would ditch them, but there has to be someone out there who would exchange services for three weeks of cat watching, of three cats who sound like they take care of themselves! Good luck either way, and I hope you find a solution that works!

Thanks, Laceface. I'll have to think about finding a stranger to take them. I think people might be leary of it, thinking that someone is just trying to unload several cats.

Elayman, when I first got her and realized just how awful the problem of cat overpopulation was, I did try to get something started. I tried working with the humane society, asking local vets to donate a few hours each week to hold a reduced price clinic, asked for reduced prices for TNR work, etc. No one wants to help. The vets here -- even the really good ones -- are all exhausted. The problem is so big that no one wants to touch it. Even with rehoming the number of cats I have, getting the few males and females TNR'd that I have, I've seen marginal improvement in animal health here. The only good thing is that I haven't seen any half-dead, sick and suffering feral kittens in a little over a year.

Here is a link to the Landlord Tenant Brochure that TN has and it may be helpful. Unfortunately it doesn't say that there is a notice time period that must be given, such as in Ohio the landlord by law must give the tenant 24 hours notice before entering the premises. There is a phone number on the brochure so a quick call may be able to give you that information. Some landlords like to see what they can get away with and hope the tenant will be cowed into compliancy.

http://tn.gov/consumer/documents/Lan...ntBrochure.pdf

With that being said, the poster who said get kitties into the car is right on. First clean your house of all things cat, no trees or large toys that are hard to hide or move. Get a storage unit if needed, you are only needing it for 3 weeks. Keep your cat carriers in a convenient location. Don't worry about your landlord seeing them as it clearly says the landlord can only enter without your permission in the event of an emergency. Showing the house to prospective renters is not an emergency. If the call comes in that the landlord is showing up with people then start your evac procedures. Get the litterboxes into the trunk of the car, get the cats in the carriers and into the car, and grab any small toys and place them into personal dresser drawers. If you planned ahead and stashed everything else cat related, your home should look like no cats lived there.

Do a few practice runs to make things go smooth in the event that you really do only have 10 minutes time. You should also play nice with the landlord and tell him that you are more than happy to have him show the place, but you really need 1 hour notice so that you can secure any valuables and clear a path of all the moving boxes and such.

And if all else fails a quick call to a lawyer who deals in landlord/tenant laws can help you greatly. A lot of lawyers, especially those from legal aid, will be more than happy to make a call or send a letter for a very small fee reminding the landlord what the tenants rights are. That is usually enough for the landlord to back off and play by the rules.

Good luck

Originally Posted by CatMom2Wires

If that friend is reliable I'd find some way to get $600, be it delivering pizzas, selling stuff or budgeting more strictly. You could also offer your friend something like housecleaning services for X amount of time, or lawn care or something in exchange for all or part of the care of the pets. Honestly, the price she's asking is very fair. It is a BIG deal to care for someone else's pets.

Good luck.

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In disagree with you. I wouldn't charge a friend one red cent to foster her cats for three weeks. I'd expect the cat's owner to pay for food and litter of course, but to make a profit off a friend? never.

Originally Posted by missymotus

Couldn't you just put them in the car during inspection times? Or take a short drive with them.

When I moved out of a rental even though I was allowed cats I took a drive with them, this was to ensure they weren't accidentally let out.

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Originally Posted by elayman

http://www.ehow.com/how_4817342_sell...e-of-pets.html
How to Sell Your Home in Spite of Your Pets

And I noticed also that the Clarksville 'shelter' is apparently more a rescue organization of volunteers and foster homes than a physical location. So after explaining the circumstances, aren't there two or three ready made families that would accept one or more for such a short period of time ? Provided of course you guarantee the food, supplies, medications and veterinary treatments if needed, etc.

The upside is they can't become too attached knowing it is going right back to a great home ... !

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Originally Posted by elayman

Is the concern any might escape through doors and windows that visitors leave ajar ? Stick all three in a dog-size cage or crate with litter and water and a sheet over the top during the time of a showing. Find a secure location in the car or whatever if leaving them inside is not a realistic possibility.

Not exactly free, but still for a fraction of the cost of your friend.

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Originally Posted by Carolina

Clean your apartment really well before they go in so there is no cat smell and tell the landlord you are just fostering them for a family member for a couple of weeks while they are on summer vacations. Take all the cat furniture out before they start showing - make it look like it is not a cat house.
If they throw you out, you are already leaving...... I would not worry about it and no way I would give up on my babies since I am leaving the place anyways...

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all great ideas. that a solution comes to you quickly.

That you are cat sitting might be the best one, or if you are given warning of the "showings", popping them in the car.

I'd insist on warnings anyway, how rude to show an apartment when people are still living in it, and worse, trying to pack and move out.

Originally Posted by laceface

I know it's is no where near an ideal situation, but what are the chances you could find someone decent on craigslist that would hold on to them for three weeks? Obviously you would have to be careful that it wasn't someone who would ditch them, but there has to be someone out there who would exchange services for three weeks of cat watching, of three cats who sound like they take care of themselves! Good luck either way, and I hope you find a solution that works!

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I would stay away from craigslist. crazy crazy people read those ads. Not worth the risk.

Isn't there anyone else on this board from Tennessee, or even a bordering state, that could help?

If I were anywhere near TN, I'd take them in a heartbeat... I hope you've gotten a good solution from all the great ideas here!!!

I have gotten some very good ideas from this and it has helped me develop a plan.

My cats are going outside to use the bathroom (per their own preference. They stopped using the box entirely) so I don't have to worry about hiding a litterbox. The crate is packed up and the cat toys are all "hiding". The food and water are outside, although there is a cereal bowl on the floor with water in it, and they get fed their canned food on paper plates inside. Both those things can be picked up in about 2 seconds though.

I am calling the landlord first thing in the morning and telling them that I need at least an hour's notice. That gives me a chance to hide the cats in my next door neighbor's apartment. She offered, so I had to jump on that.

If I do not get an hour's notice, and I suddenly hear keys in the door, I am stripping completely nude and perching on my center rug right smack dab in the middle of the living room. If that doesn't teach my landlord to give me notice, I don't know what will.

I live right on the kentucky border on the west end of the state. So if anyone lives near Hopkinsville and can baby sit them for just two weeks, that would be grand! I'm even giving them a course of tapeworm meds on the 5th, even tho I haven't seen any signs.

We have a temporary room mate, as well. He got kicked out of Army barracks because even though he's getting divorced, he's still legally married, and they're kicking married people out of barracks. He had no where else to go, so he's here until the 22nd when I leave -- I hope he finds somewhere new by then. He's allergic to cats, so he's agreed to help me vacuum everyday, both to beat the appearance of kitty fur, and reduce his allergy symptoms.

Again, thanks to all of you for helping me figure out a plan!

Are there no legal requirements on the amount of notice they need to give you?

Landlords cannot enter properties here without 24 hours notice, they certainly cannot show up and bring people through with just 1 hour or even less.

Wow...remind me never to rent a place in Tennessee....the rules are way too vague.

I took some looking around at a few websites that discuss rental laws in Tennessee. This one is pretty basic: http://www.ehow.com/list_6691787_ten...tennessee.html .

Although it is not specific, it does say that your landlord has to give reasonable notice for entry. Showing up at your door unannounced is not reasonable. Tell him you want 24 hours notice, but show that you are flexible if something comes up and someone wants to come by a little sooner (ie. morning to evening...not an hour...that's ridiculous.) I recommend making these requests in writing/email, or at very least, documenting what has been said.

If your landlord refuses to comply and just randomly shows up, refuse him access. You can do that without reasonable notice. It won't look good to prospective tenants if he's giving you a hard time and just randomly showing up on your doorstep, so I imagine that he'll at least try to cooperate.

As for hiding the pets, I guess that is up to you. But, the worst he can really do is keep your security deposit. Still, it might be easier for you to just try to not let him know you have the pets. It sounds like you have a bit of a plan worked out, especially if you can establish some guidelines for notice, as I mentioned above.

I understand why you are stressing, but remember....the landlord won't show the apartment once it gets rented....so hopefully one of the first few people through will like it and want it. I suppose you can help that out by making sure everything is in tip-top shape! Once the landlord has rented the place, there shouldn't be any reason for him to be coming in!

We had a bit of a scare today. Hubby was at work, so I didn't have the car, and my friend that was going to "hoard" the cats for me was at lunch, so I had nowhere for them to go. I got a phone call from a maintenance guy who was coming over to fix the deadbolt on the front door, and the lock on the mailbox.
He asked if I was going to be home in about 15 minutes because he was in the area already... and he had already called my husband and my husband had given him the OK to come over.

So of course I freaked out, and the kitties got tossed outside. I speed-cleaned everything I could before the guy got here.

But, everything is ok. They chilled out on the porch out of sight and didn't even try to come in.

Next time, I don't know what we're going to do. I'm going to try reading through that rental law stuff, but I don't know how much I'll understand. Thanks so much.

I'd suggest that when the landlord calls you to let you know they're showing the place, tell them that there's no way the place can be shown before you move out-you're just too busy getting ready to leave. Or, tell them you want AT LEAST 24 hours notice-no exceptions. The landlord shouldn't have the right to show it while they are still people lving in it. But be careful not to get on their bad side either.
Another suggestion is that while the landlord is showing it, spend the day with a friend and bring the kitties-they shouldn't mind if it's just one day at a time and you're there to look after them.

Just a thought, have you tried a local farm? Maybe they would take them temporarily to kill mice in the barn for just the cost of feeding them?

Originally Posted by Faerian

I'd suggest that when the landlord calls you to let you know they're showing the place, tell them that there's no way the place can be shown before you move out-you're just too busy getting ready to leave.

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I will admit I'm not real knowledgeable on rental laws, but I can't believe he can show the place when you are not moved out. When I have rented in the past, they usually ask for first AND last month's rent in advance, not to mention the security deposit. So they have a whole month extra in paid rent to show the place after it's vacated.

Unfortunately, the laws here in TN are very very vague. They only stipulate that the landlord has to give me reasonable notice, without specifying what reasonable would be. It also states that while he can't enter the premises without my permission unless there is an emergency, I also cannot deny him entrance without good cause.

Our lease agreement -- which my husband signed before I was even in the state, because I was finishing up a semester of college -- also states that if we do not allow them to show the property while we are here, then we are responsible for paying an entire month's extra rent so that they have a month of paid rent in which to show the property... I have to give my hubby some slack though, considering the Army OK'd the location, the rent was within our price range, and Hubby was only 22 when he signed the lease (3 years ago) and wasn't as street-wise as he is now. Like they say, live and learn.

I also don't have any friends in the area that I can take the cats to to visit for the day. I have almost no friends at all here. I have 2 friends that would be willing, except one lives NEXT DOOR to her landlord, who is a strict "No pets" person, and the other's 2 year old daughter is HIGHLY allergic to cats. The little girl gets a rash if she even sits on my lap after I've held the cats. So there's no way I could even dream of taking four allergen factories into her home.

And, Sisu, I really appreciate the idea, but my cats would likely be far too scared to stay in one place if they were taken to a strange barn. I am too afraid that they'd run off, and I'd never see them again.

Just something that worked for me years ago.
First off we had a lease for a year 2 xs then they stopped that...so yes we had signed a no pets but we stayed there for about 12 years. I had 7 cats and when the landlord came over first time I put 2 quiet ones under my bed...lol no really under...I tookt he metal frame off when they destroyed the cheese cloth so all I had to do was lift up the boxspring.

Hey it was for 5 minutes tops. Also we hund a sign on door "dont let the stray cats IN and let 2 out there.. out of the 3 left 1 hid on his own and two just sat there. We gave excuse aunt was in hospital in state but far enough away.
Now hubby and i own but did hear every 10 years they come in for tax inspection. not to worried as it JUST happened before we moved in and who knows who I will have the. if I still have as many as I do I will load up truck/car and go for a ride leaving 5 or so behind who are quiet and hiders