Cats and apartments

lamiatron

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in my experience i've found that management or landlords are mostly concerned with big animals, like big dogs. When i moved recently, and before i got my cats, i wanted to move with my pitbul. He's a 1 yr old and he's HUGE. My landlord just flat out said "no big dog". he didn't ask for extra money or anything for me to be able to keep it. Jax is in good hands. He lives with my boyfriend, who's got a house, and backyard and all that good stuff so i guess its better than being cooped up in a small apartment.

When i got my two cats, I never told him. He's seen them too when he came by once, and he didn't seem to care. he just got a little spooked. lol.
 

trevandbur

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I'm looking for an apartment right now (Boyfriend broke up with me...long story but it's probably for the best...sigh...) and I've had the opposite experience as far as cats vs dogs...Most places are like "OH HELL NOOOOO" about cats. The biggest concern seems to be dealing with cat pee on carpet. Yeah, cat pee is really nasty to get out of carpet, but they don't seem to want to make a concession for the fact that I have two adult neutered cats who ALWAYS use the litter box. 

I talked to one lady who said she's pet friendly and might have something open after the first of the year, but it will depend on the location because I need to be in town and close to work. My other option is an apartment complex, which is $30 per cat extra a month and $200 per cat extra deposit. Hiding one or both cats wouldn't be an option there as it's small and the managers live on site. i'm too honest for that, anyway. 

My temporary place I found by placing an ad in the paper for myself and my two well behaved cats. A little old lady (very sweet lady!) called me because she knows it's hard to find pet friendly rentals and she loves cats and was afraid I would take mine to a shelter. She's got a large basement apartment and I will be moving in there on Thursday with my boys. When I get my tax refund, I'll have the money for my own apartment. 
 

catspaw66

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Has anyone ever "forgot to mention" or lied about having a cat when applying for an apartment or other housing?

I have two cats and I'm in the process of applying for apartments. After going apartment to apartment, I've realized just how expensive a pet deposit can be! A lot of places are $300-$400 pet deposit, and along with a $250-$400 deposit, that's around $700 alone without the first and last months rent! I understand why deposits are needed, and usually it's not an issue, but this time around we are very very strapped for cash. If we could avoid the $400 deposit, that would be awesome.

My boyfriend asked me the other day "why don't we just say we don't have cats, and pay the deposit later when we get our budget figured out?" and I thought that was a pretty good idea. When I got the first cat we lived in an apartment that allowed cats, but we never told our manager that we got him. I was paranoid about getting in trouble while we lived there, especially since he liked to sit at the window, but we were never found out.

I feel pretty lousy lieing to someone about anything, especially to a landlord or apartment manager, but I'm wondering if it's a common thing among cat owners. My cats aren't super destructive or messy, so I'm not worried about them trashing the apartment, and my boyfriend and I both agreed we would let management know the second we can afford to pay the deposit. Anyone think this is a good idea? Bad idea?

Side discussion: What's the deal with pet rent? How crazy is it to charge someone an extra $15-$20 a month just for having a pet?
Firstly, if you lie about having cats and get caught the law says that is falsifying an application and you could be subject to being evicted and/or sued.

The pet rent is based upon experience that a lot of people just let the cat do what want to do and the cat causes hundreds or even thousands of dollars of damage.  We on this site are devoted to making our cats as house-friendly as possible, but look at it from the owners point of view. People who would not let their child use markers on the walls, tear up the carpet and woodwork and pee and poop on the floors will let their cat do just that.

I believe that the no-pet laws should be modified. Have a neutral professional third-party inspect the apartment/house before and after the renter moves. Then make the renter pay for damage that can be proven that the pet has caused.
 

denice

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I too can see it from the property owners point of view even though I have two cats.  It's not the cats it's the people.  Litterbox problems are common with cats, I have been fortunate but the problem is common.  People who don't clean up properly and try to figure out what is going on and how to fix it can leave an apartment that is very difficult to clean up because the smell is soaked into the wood.  I know a large no kill shelter here has some permanent residents most because of too many failed adoptions.  The biggest reason they are returned is litterbox issues.  It is a decent shelter so they have a home for the rest of their lives but the reason they spend the rest of their lives in a shelter rather than a home is litterbox issues.  I know it's also a major issue that Jackson Galaxy deals with both on his show and in his work that he does that isn't put on TV.
 

catsfurme

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You might try this.  Have a doctor write a letter or a document or "To Whom it May Concern" stating your pets are "Therapy Pets".   I have depression on and off and my cats provide a sense of calmness and peacefulness for me.  My doctor did not hesitate to write the document as he knows how helpful they are for me.  I was not charged a deposit fee however, I am resposible for any damage they cause.

Just a suggestion.
 

lamiatron

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I have never had cats before (now i have 2) , but my boyfriend and his family used to. and they're always telling me stories of kitty destruction and rage. telling me they always f*** up the furniture the carpets and drapes and attack innocent passers by down the hallway...and it always confused me because my cats are NOT like that at all. I have a male and female, and even my boyfriend says, "your cats are not evil thank God" and he starts with the horror stories...

It always makes me think and wonder if my cats will eventually become destructive. I don't have carpets, but i have drapes, I have furniture, I have clothes all over the place, and my cats do not touch one thing. All his stories make me think of us how some cat owners just let it happen. So i agree with what's being said, its more so the owner than the cats. Also i asked my boyfriend if they ever bought a scratching post, or toys for the cats, and he said no. that would explain it. they're bored out of their minds and have nothing better to do.....again, the cat owners let it happen. 

You could use that...if you are one of those owners who has cat furniture, and has cat toys, and things to stimulate the cat, you could say they are not prone to be destructive..because although I have not experienced the destructive behavior of a cat, I am experiencing how they can be when they are not destructive, properly stimulated, and my cats are left alone at home for 12-14 hours a day. sometimes more.
 

denice

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I think generally speaking things like scratching furniture and pouncing on people is pretty easy to change.  At least in adult cats, a small kitten will be a kitten.  Plenty of things they can scratch and interactive play as an outlet for their prey drive is all it takes.  Inappropriate peeing can be a more difficult thing to figure out unless it's a medical issue.  I have learned a lot from watching Jackson Galaxy's show and reading his book.  There are multiple possible reasons that's what can make it difficult.  I watched his holiday show and learned something different.  A couple had a cat that was only peeing on the husbands things.  Jackson said that it was an insecure way of mingling scents.  The guy started playing with and feeding the cat and the problem went away.
 
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misty8723

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As well as potentially being evicted yourself, I believe they could require that you get rid of the cats.

My sister lives in an apartment complex where the landlord doesn't allow pets, and I think he's actually put it in the lease.
 

dejolane

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Everybody loves their animals and love to  have a place to live but I feel if you have to hide your pets at first, do it, I did in our last apartment but then I paid  $10..00 a month. And I don't know if the manager knows I have Thunder here too .

I just don't  know what I would do without  my cat Bella. She turned 4 this month. Bella is part of my family and always will be. 
 
 
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tjcarst

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Just a side note:  Most people on this site are against declawing.  I would not use that as a selling point to a landlord for allowing a pet, nor consider declawing my cat to have it allowed by the landlord..
 

jill-e

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The reason for pet deposits is clear cut; cats can cause a lot of damage to furniture, carpets, flooring, walls, window blinds, not to mention there might be others living in the complex or building who are allergic to cats while you're there or afterwards.

I have had cats all my adult life, when I rented and while I've owned my own homes. I paid the deposits on the rentals, paid to repair the damages, or had my cats go live elsewhere if there was a no pet clause or a roommate that was allergic to them.

I've seen the damage first hand that pets can do. I've lived with dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, birds, and horses (tho the horses didn't live indoors). I personally only owned the cats and horses. The dogs were either my husband's or roommates'. My roommates have also had rabbits, ferrets and birds. Though I love having pets, or I should say animal companions, they all make messes and do damages of one kid or another that need to be cleaned up and/or repaired, and sometimes those messes/damages are excessive. I've just spent many thousands of dollars ripping out the carpet in my current home, replacing much of the subflooring due cat pee stink, replacing the flooring with hardwood, and still I have a problem because my cats are getting old. Plus, they have FHV so I have cat snot stuck to walls that can only be cleaned up by painting over it. When you try to remove it from textured walls, it removes the texture too. So, I repaint often and have stopped having guests in my house.

I'm also a landlord and have had to evict two tenants, despite the fact I have a NO PETS clause in the leases. The first one got a dog that destroyed the bamboo flooring in the hall in front of the bedroom, the trim around the lower part of the bedroom door and the door of the bedroom, because she locked the dog out of the room when she was sleeping. The second tenant I evicted brought in a cat that peed and pooped all over bedroom carpet. I would only find out about these pets when I went in to check on the properties every 4 months to change furnace filters, and do other routine maintenance checks and services. Both of those people left me with huge repair bills and no way to recover the costs as they would move out of town and leave no forwarding address or contact info.

There is a posting in another thread on this site about a person who's brother died from a severe allergic reaction to cats. He had an anaphylactic seizure due to a neighbor's cat in a rental apartment building he was living in. As I've gotten older, I've become seriously allergic to many scents (mostly artificial ones) and have had anaphylactic chocking experiences just walking into some stores, riding on elevators and escalators, on an airplane and on buses, and even had to ask a repair man to leave my house when he showed up smelling very strongly of cologne.

Put yourself in the others' shoes. Tell people about your pets. Don't cry poverty over the deposits required. If you can afford the pets, you can mostly likely afford the deposit too. If you can't afford the deposit, how can you afford the cost of the pets? So, don't be a schmuck, lie and be sneaky. Be a responsible adult and do the right thing. Disclose that you have pets and pay the deposit, or give your pets away until you can.
 

catspaw66

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Just a side note:  Most people on this site are against declawing.  I would not use that as a selling point to a landlord for allowing a pet, nor consider declawing my cat to have it allowed by the landlord..
Actually, this site is officially anti-declaw and pro-spay/neuter. Anyone suggesting declawing is going to get severely lectured.

www.thecatsite.com/a/why-cats-should-not-be-declawed
 

tjcarst

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Actually, this site is officially anti-declaw and pro-spay/neuter. Anyone suggesting declawing is going to get severely lectured.

www.thecatsite.com/a/why-cats-should-not-be-declawed
I know about this site's declaw policy.  I adhere to it myself.  An earlier poster, not myself, commented earlier in the thread the following:
 "I've found that the "no pet" clause tends to be relaxed when a potential landlord is told its a cat, especially if it's just one, neutered and declawed
 

catspaw66

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OOPS. I didn't mean to imply that you supported declawing. I must have not read the referenced post clearly. Apologies to you, tjcarst. There was no offense intended.
 

fhicat

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I'm also a landlord and have had to evict two tenants, despite the fact I have a NO PETS clause in the leases. The first one got a dog that destroyed the bamboo flooring in the hall in front of the bedroom, the trim around the lower part of the bedroom door and the door of the bedroom, because she locked the dog out of the room when she was sleeping. The second tenant I evicted brought in a cat that peed and pooped all over bedroom carpet. I would only find out about these pets when I went in to check on the properties every 4 months to change furnace filters, and do other routine maintenance checks and services. Both of those people left me with huge repair bills and no way to recover the costs as they would move out of town and leave no forwarding address or contact info.
Thank you for posting your experiences as a landlord. This is definitely why many property managers are reluctant to allow pets on site - irresponsible pet owners. Property owners aren't generally "evil"; if anything, it is the bad owners that make life harder for the rest of us.
 

laralove

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I hope it helps to have a good reference from your previous landlord(s). I'm hoping I won't have a problem finding an apartment/rental home when I move from my current location. Giving up Oliver, even temporarily, won't be an option. 
 

peaches08

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When I lived in an apartment, Grey peed inappropriately. A lot. Some of it was undiscovered CRF, some of it was the litter hurting her declawed paws, some of it I swear was delirium/dementia. Never got it fully sorted out. But upon moving, I personally shampood that carpet over and over and OVER again and thankfully got all of my deposits back.

My new cats have destroyed almost every set of blinds in this house. I told the landlord that I'm not replacing them until they calm down (heathens!) or I move out. It's the right thing to do. But replacing them with new blinds right now is just throwing money out the window and my landlord shrugged his shoulders like he wasn't real worried about it.

There's always extenuating circumstances, but I've never lied about having cats and I never will seek a permanent residence that doesn't allow pets. I had a friend with cystic fibrosis before, so it weighs on my mind about lying about pets, smoking indoors, etc.
 

denice

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I think blinds are always a target with kitties especially the younger ones.  I think they see them as a nuisance that gets in the way of bird watching.  Most apartments have the cheap generic blinds that don't cost much to replace.  I have never lied about pets, not only about having them but being within the rules.  Where I am at now has a two pet limit and for the smaller apartments like mine they have a weight limit on dogs.
 

tjcarst

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OOPS. I didn't mean to imply that you supported declawing. I must have not read the referenced post clearly. Apologies to you, tjcarst. There was no offense intended.
No offense taken ;-)

I did not want anyone to think it might be easier to have a cat accepted by a landlord if the cat was declawed.

Looking out for the kitties . :-)
 
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