We are sad

nebula · Apr 13, 2012

Our Apartment was inspected today.........

We're only allowed one cat. It means we have to do something with the other (Either Smokie or Bandit) and I'm just not sure what to do. I don't want to do a shelter, and the way they are inseparable, I wonder if we will have to give them both away, and maybe get another one cat to replace them. Luckilly, Bandit was outside when they came - and I had taken his collar off last night in order to re-adjust it, and forgot to put it back on. That being said, we are only subject to inspection once a year. They came today and saw both the cats outside -- Smokie needed grass and stuff for his stomach, and then the inspector lady asked me "Are those your cats" and I said "This one is" Pointed to Smokie, and picked him up. She said "What about that one?" I said "He's a roamer". She never asked if Bandit was mine, and I didn't volunteer the info. But still, don't want to Jeopoardize our housing. I'm kinda stuck, what to do? Truth be told, Bandit IS a roamer and he DOES roam outside- daily. Sigh

kailie · Apr 13, 2012

Can you not move? Did you know about the one cat limit? Did you sign anything saying you could only have one cat? What a terrible position to be in. There is absolutely nothing aside from a life or death situation that could make me give up any of my kitties.

carolina · Apr 13, 2012

Well..... Don't they give you 24 hours notice to inspect? What you do is when you know when they are coming, you take one of them elsewhere. That is what everyone who is in the same position does. No one I know has had to give their cats away.
Inspectors can not come in, by law without give notice.

nebula · Apr 13, 2012

They gave notice, a week notice. We knew the inspection was today..

Secondly, we can''t move. Being on a fixed income, I guarantee we won't get $84 a month rent anywhere else!! But ya, next inspection we will place him elsewhere.

angels mommy · Apr 13, 2012

I agree. Also w/ Kailie, did you sign anything regarding that? And if the lady didn't suspect that Bandit was yours, maybe your o.k? (or could maybe say, you were only kitty sitting the other??)

I would start calling around for new places to live, just in case, but please don't get rid of your baby/babies.

I am so sorry you are having to deal w/ this. I will send up a prayer for you!!

Carolina said:
Well..... Don't they give you 24 hours notice to inspect? What you do is when you know when they are coming, you take one of them elsewhere. That is what everyone who is in the same position does. No one I know has had to give their cats away.
Inspectors can not come in, by law without give notice.

catsallaround · Apr 13, 2012

I would be surprised if much is done but being your on assistance that may be a greater issue. I told the complex I had 3 when there was a limit of 2. They knew I had at least 6.

Watch out for notices as I know my sister gets a few a year-fire inspector and the apt complex. fire one they give a general idea but not exact day.

I know its not allowed but I would change your locks.

nebula · Apr 13, 2012

I never signed something saying I wouldn't keep pets. I paid a pet deposit for Smokie and signed a waiver for damages, etc- nothing about a second cat.

Moving isn't an option, making less than $800 a month on SSDI, We would literally not be able to afford anywhere else. $84 a month rent is a STEAL- Plus its a great neighborhood.

Willowy · Apr 13, 2012

It's not likely they will do anything about it. Just hide one of them when the inspector comes (if Bandit goes outside, just pop him out there for a while). Make them put it in writing saying that one of them has to go before you do anything (but don't bring it up! Make them initiate everything). Don't just give up if there's no reason to.

ruthyb · Apr 13, 2012

I am only supposed to have 2 cats, I have 6

If i ever have an inspection my neighbours that own their house would take 4 but we are lucky we don't get yearly inspections. My mum said also I could say I am looking after her cats and she would vouch for me. My kitties are so important to me I would fight tooth and nail to keep them if it came to it. I really wouldn't worry hun, looks like you got away with it and be prepared next time.x

speakhandsforme · Apr 13, 2012

Yep, keeping more than the allowed number of pets is certainly doable. I have a friend here in the same complex as me where you're only allowed 2 pets maximum, with a hefty $250 EACH fee and she has a small zoo in her apartment (she's a vet major) -- dog, cat, bird, 2 different kinds of squirrel type thing, fish, snake, etc.

p3 and the king · Apr 13, 2012

If she didn't pursuit the matter, most likely you are OK. Things like this usually don't get pushed unless they feel you have more than the allowable by state laws. Even then, if it is pursued, it is more than likely not the number of cats but because of another issue and they are using them as an excuse. I know people on fixed income housing that are only allowed 1 small pet and have a couple and eventhough the management knows about it, they don't pursuit it. I would say just breathe... All is probably well. You are worrying about nothing. Until you get some notice saying something, you are fine.

nebula · Apr 13, 2012

Thanks everyone.

I think it really IS ok. The house is spotless, always clean- and nothing is damaged. I'm not sure why they limit to 1 cat, and I suspect they DO know- just didn't pursue it. Though our neighbor received a "get rid of the second dog or be evicted in 3 days" notice last week, but to be fair- it barked incessantly.

zohdee · Apr 13, 2012

Yes, I would agree that if you are on government housing you may have an issue. Tax dollars are paying for you rent so they can be sticklers from what I have heard. Sadly, its mostly on the renters and not on the landlord. I have heard horror stories about government housing and landlord upkeep issues.

catkiki · Apr 13, 2012

We have 2 cats. We never paid a deposit as we did not have them when we moved in. The management know we have the girls but have not said anything. The OWNER was in our apartment when they were replacing the plumbing and HE never said a word. We were only told that we could not continue to feed the strays outside. It was hard to stop doing that, but we had to. One is still around but she looks to be getting fed somewhere.

p3 and the king · Apr 13, 2012

They probably do know but don't care. As long as your place is clean and nice, and no complaints from neighbors, they have no reason to pursue it. So just breathe easy and don't mention it. More than likely if you don't mention it or freak out about it, they won't either. It'll just be yours and their little secret!

nerdrock · Apr 13, 2012

If you have a law school near you they might have a department that offers free or cheap legal advice. We have one like that here with the University. You could send them a copy of your lease, your info (that you get SSDI, have two cats, etc) and see what they say as to what your landlord can and cannot legally do. I'm sure your tenant board also has something similar, although it is probably a bit more. Just something to look into incase a problem does arise, then you know what your rights are and you're not in a panic to find out.

Our city limit here for dogs is 3 per dwelling and for cats it's 2 per adult per dwelling. When I was fostering I'd often have 4 or 5 dogs in my apartment (once I had my three dogs at the time, two dachshunds and a bouvier, plus an english bulldog and a hound/border collie mix puppy, my spare bedroom was full of crates). Of course it was during a time when our building manager was leaving and a new one was taking over. Thankfully, I never had any problems and the new building manager was great, she'd even help me walk all of them every once in awhile. I know quite a few people that have 4 dogs in apartments, or 3-6 cats, and a few that have 9 dogs and 6 cats. They've never had any problems, as long as their place is clean.

Depending on what you're on SSDI for, maybe you can get the cats registered as emotional support animals. You live with your SO right? You could each have one as your emotional support animal, usually that's enough to keep a landlord off your back. One of my dogs is an emotional support animal for me (I'm bipolar and have social anxiety disorder). It's not the same as having a service animal, but most landlords don't know the difference and are afraid to get in a legal mess with an otherwise good tenant.

nebula · Apr 13, 2012

nerdrock said:
If you have a law school near you they might have a department that offers free or cheap legal advice. We have one like that here with the University. You could send them a copy of your lease, your info (that you get SSDI, have two cats, etc) and see what they say as to what your landlord can and cannot legally do. I'm sure your tenant board also has something similar, although it is probably a bit more. Just something to look into incase a problem does arise, then you know what your rights are and you're not in a panic to find out.

Our city limit here for dogs is 3 per dwelling and for cats it's 2 per adult per dwelling. When I was fostering I'd often have 4 or 5 dogs in my apartment (once I had my three dogs at the time, two dachshunds and a bouvier, plus an english bulldog and a hound/border collie mix puppy, my spare bedroom was full of crates). Of course it was during a time when our building manager was leaving and a new one was taking over. Thankfully, I never had any problems and the new building manager was great, she'd even help me walk all of them every once in awhile. I know quite a few people that have 4 dogs in apartments, or 3-6 cats, and a few that have 9 dogs and 6 cats. They've never had any problems, as long as their place is clean.

Depending on what you're on SSDI for, maybe you can get the cats registered as emotional support animals. You live with your SO right? You could each have one as your emotional support animal, usually that's enough to keep a landlord off your back. One of my dogs is an emotional support animal for me (I'm bipolar and have social anxiety disorder). It's not the same as having a service animal, but most landlords don't know the difference and are afraid to get in a legal mess with an otherwise good tenant.

A couple of things. First off , the law school is a great idea- Luckilly, my best friend is an attorney.

He is looking into the laws, but basically says they can't do anything without it being in writing.

I am on SSDI for bipolar and borderline. HOWEVER... I don't have it anymore (have been 100% delivered & healed...- No I'm not preaching here, just saying) Been off meds for over 6 months and doing 100% awesome,. going back to med school & going to start work soon. That being said, technically I am listed as disabled, but hubby is not a US citizen, he is a temporary (student) visa. I am familiar with the emotional support animal, Texas doesn't recognize it as it isn't an official qualification or certifcation like a service animal would be. Even if they did, I am the only US citizen and therefore would be the only one to claim an emotional support animal.

I think it is the "little secret". They know, they don't probably care- as I said, our house is always clean & spotless - damage free.

nerdrock · Apr 13, 2012

Nebula said:
A couple of things. First off , the law school is a great idea- Luckilly, my best friend is an attorney. He is looking into the laws, but basically says they can't do anything without it being in writing.

I am on SSDI for bipolar and borderline. HOWEVER... I don't have it anymore (have been 100% delivered & healed...- No I'm not preaching here, just saying) Been off meds for over 6 months and doing 100% awesome,. going back to med school & going to start work soon. That being said, technically I am listed as disabled, but hubby is not a US citizen, he is a temporary (student) visa. I am familiar with the emotional support animal, Texas doesn't recognize it as it isn't an official qualification or certifcation like a service animal would be. Even if they did, I am the only US citizen and therefore would be the only one to claim an emotional support animal.

I think it is the "little secret". They know, they don't probably care- as I said, our house is always clean & spotless - damage free.

That's awesome that your friend is looking into it for you

Emotional Support Animals don't have the same status as a service animal here either, which is a bit sad because for the longest time I couldn't go ANYWHERE unless someone I knew was with me. I had to have a friend come with me so I could go grocery shopping or to the store. It was bad. Thankfully, my friends and I were able to talk to a few of the business owners and many would allow me to bring Sadie in with me as long as I carried her, obviously not in places that sold food. It really helped a lot and I've been able to do my own shopping, for the most part, now for 3 years. I have been off of my meds for bipolar for 2 1/2 years now, I was never on meds for SAD because it didn't effect me at work and I wasn't in school anymore. However, because Sadie didn't do anything for me other than make me feel more comfortable and outgoing, she couldn't be a service dog.

zohdee · Apr 14, 2012

If you are 100% healed, why are you still on SSDI?

Nebula said:
A couple of things. First off , the law school is a great idea- Luckilly, my best friend is an attorney. He is looking into the laws, but basically says they can't do anything without it being in writing.

I am on SSDI for bipolar and borderline. HOWEVER... I don't have it anymore (have been 100% delivered & healed...- No I'm not preaching here, just saying) Been off meds for over 6 months and doing 100% awesome,. going back to med school & going to start work soon. That being said, technically I am listed as disabled, but hubby is not a US citizen, he is a temporary (student) visa. I am familiar with the emotional support animal, Texas doesn't recognize it as it isn't an official qualification or certifcation like a service animal would be. Even if they did, I am the only US citizen and therefore would be the only one to claim an emotional support animal.

I think it is the "little secret". They know, they don't probably care- as I said, our house is always clean & spotless - damage free.

nebula · Apr 14, 2012

zohdee said:
If you are 100% healed, why are you still on SSDI?

Good question. First of all, you have to do things by the book. This means getting the "Ticket to Work" program and the "Trial Work Period" taken care of, in which you keep your benefits while working. That's step 1. It would be illegal for me to work without that ticket to work, and this is coming at the end of April in a few weeks.

Step # 2- Submit to the govt re-evaluation. I have to show medical proof of healing, not needing meds, therapy etc anymore. Then after 12 months, they re-determine my case- in which time they will obvisouly realize I am working fine and don't need the SSDI anymore. It's a process, a long process involving the government. Thanks for your question

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