House Cats And Smells

We all know that cats are one of the best animals for keeping them selves clean and apart from tearing up the odd bin bag or shoe box they are usually very tidey.

But i have a problem!

We have a house cat called Mia, who we've had since last september.
when we first moved into our rented student property the tenancy agreement stated 'no pets'. But because my fiance and i are a couple and not your usual students the landlord bent the rules slightly and mentioned we could have a cat. He knew she'd be a house cat and that one of the rooms would be there just for her to sleep in.

Her litter tray is in that room too and she only goes in there to pee poop and sleep. Now its pretty obvious that litter trays get smelly even imidiatly after use, which is why i clean it all the time and her entire room. We open the windows and use air freshner.

But the landlord has complained! He says the whole room will need to be shampooed b4 we move (moving in few months) and that it smells! It probably does smell a little but theres nothing more i can do.


It's just upset me that he said we could have a cat and expected the house to be as fesh as daisys!

It's clean and tidy and he's made me feel like a tramp!


If im doing all i can how can i keep the smallest smells away!?

I have a very sensitive sense of smell, so much in fact that when i used to live with my parents and if i complained about a smell, my dad would say " Your nose is too near your own A#@e"!! LOL (sorry if thats offended anyone!)

I keep Rosie as a housecat, and i can honestly say my house does'nt smell, not even her room where her food and litter tray are kept. I even asked friends who came round if they could smell anything and they couldnt.

Can you smell anything?. If the answer is no, i'd say it was just your twisty landlord using your fur baby as an excuse!.

Just humour him and agree that you will disinfect the house before you leave, and on the day you leave, tell him what my dad used to say to me!!!



Susan

Sounds like your typical college campus landlord. I can't begin to tell you the number of stories that I've heard from friends about their college landlords making unreasonable demands from them. It sounds like he is out to make some money off you.

Perhaps find out if they typically have the carpet shampooed between tenants. If this is the case, he was supposed to do it anyway, so why charge you more? Perhaps offer to have the carpet shampooed yourself (you can rent a machine fairly inexpensively). If he doesn't agree, find out what a cleaning would cost, and if he tries to charge you anymore than that, challenge him.

I hope this isn't a lesson learned for you. I know how tight money is when in college. Next apartment negotiate this with the landlord in advance so you don't have a surprise in store as you move out.

For keeping my carpets clean in my house: I own a carpet shampooer, and clean things at least once a year if not more often. In between, I use fabreeze or other products safe for pets. Since I don't have much carpet in my house, I don't have a lot to worry about (I have mostly wood floors and throw rugs which are machine washable).

Originally posted by Momofmany
I hope this isn't a lesson learned for you. I know how tight money is when in college. Next apartment negotiate this with the landlord in advance so you don't have a surprise in store as you move out.

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OOh, thats just another problem... we are gonna be renting again but not student acommodation this time coz it's just a rip off! For the money we are paying now on this tiny hole of a house we can get something loverly else where.

But!!!!..... hardly any houses for rent will allow pets at all! Its hard enough to find a place but finding one that will let me keep mia will be so hard! I wont give her up tho...not ever!

I would just like to point something out.

As people who own pets of the four legged variety, they adjust to the smells of their animals, much like how they would adjust to sound so that eventually it becomes part of the background. The room may not smell to you or may retain a small amount of the odour. To someone who has not lived with you and in particular, someone who doesn't have pets can detect the smell quite easily. And carpet is notorious for absorbing odours.

I can understand that you're upset and angry and that money is tight. I'm a university student myself. In most rental places that I've been in, shampooing of carpets is generally done in between tenants and it is part of some lease agreements, particularly if pets are allowed. It's something that is agreed upon by the tenant and the landlord.

CityPet makes a very effective cat box air purifier that doubles as an air freshener. It works quite well and is in the affordable range.

Here is his website.

CityPet

Also to prove your landlord wrong, PetSmart sells blacklight flashlights, you can buy one and douse your lights at midnight and shine the light in this room to see if indeed you have urine in the carpet- it will show up florescent- then you can buy something like Nok-Out to get rid of the old urine and take the stain away, here is their website:

nok out

Your nose is too near your own A#@e

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Lor,

Can you smell anything strange when you walk in the door after you have been gone awhile? I know as soon as I walk in the house when something smells strange, but if I forget about it or get busy I dont smell it anymore until leave and come back again. You can test the landlord by assuring him you have cleaned the place and tell him if the smell isnt gone you will come back and clean again. If he doesnt smell anything after you move and he goes sniffing with the thought you have cleaned then you wouldnt be wasting any money. Also you could try burning a vanilla scented candle in the room when you are home. That tends to get rid of most smells.

This link has helpful info for finding pet-friendly housing, for when/if you move:
Finding pet-friendly rental housing

I had similar problems with landlords back when I was a student. One landlord even kept my $250 security deposit because she said the drapes were dusty & had to be professionally cleaned. I found out several years later that drape cleaning is considered normal between tenants (duh), and she wasn't legally entitled to keep the deposit. I've left every apartment cleaner than when I moved in, but they'll still look for a way to keep your money, so be careful.

Protect yourself before moving in by doing a walk-through of the apartment with your landlord present, taking photos of any damage or problems, and having the landlord note them on your lease. Read the lease carefully - Find out what is considered normal wear and tear, and what the landlord considers chargeable damage. When you move out, do another walk-through with the landlord & have him note that the place is in acceptable condition. Take more pictures, so that you can show you've cared for the place if your landlord gets greedy & wants to keep your deposit, or even tries to bill you later for damages that were already there when you moved in. If the property needs repairs (water leaks, leaky roof, stuck window, etc.) while you're living there, document when you contacted the landlord about it, so he doesn't try to charge you later for water damage due to unrepaired fixtures.

I would think shampooing the carpet between tenants is a normal thing. Would you want to move into a place where someone else had lived for years without having the carpets cleaned first?