Putting house on market - cat advice

Because of a new job in a new city, we will be moving in the next few months, and we will therefore be putting our house on the market. I start my job March 6th, and have arranged to rent a room in somebody's condo for the first few months (so I can more easily get used to my new job and surroundings and get a feel for the area). My partner will stay at our current place and continue to work while we scope out potential homes in the DC area. After meeting with the realtor last night, we realize that our two indoor cats might make the home selling process more difficult. Although the place is very tidy, doesn't smell of cats or litter, and will otherwise show very well, we're wanting to find alternate living arrangements for them in the interim. It will make showing much easier, and we won't risk potential buyers being turned off by cats. It would probably work out fine to leave notes for realtors saying to make sure the cats don't get out, but we don't want to take chances. The cats would behave just fine - there's no worry about that - they are super sweet and cuddly. So, while we could leave them here, we'd rather simplify the showing aspect by having them live elsewhere. We're currently scoping out potential foster homes, but none of the people we feel comfortable asking would really be able to do it because of other pets, allergies, etc. Boarding them is out of the question because of the $ involved and the uncertain length of time needed. I'm very stressed out about this, because they are my babies and I want them to be comfortable and well taken care of, but I'd rather them not stay at home while the place is on the market. There are plenty of other stressful factors playing into this as well.

My question is what do indoor cat parents typically do when putting their house on the market? I didn't find much about selling a home when I did a search.

Isabel and Squall (especially Squall) get stressed out when we move a piece of furniture, so this whole moving into a new house thing is probably going to be catastrophic for them. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

When i bought the home i'm in now the owners had an indoor cat when i never had any at the time, but it never put me off buying it.

Me personally i would leave the cats in their home because what if you don't get a quick sale on the property?!.

As long as their litterboxes are changed regular, which you obviously do because you say your home doesn't smell, i wouldn't worry, plus i use those plug in air fresheners as well.

When the realtor would show our house, I would put the litter boxes in a trash bag, and put them in a corner. Molly would go into our carrier and the two of us would go for a ride. For extended showing, like an Open House, Molly would go to my parents' house.

Our realtor was cat friendly with two of his own. He told us it was OK to leave Molly there, but was happy that we always took her out of the house.

If you are worried about "smell" purchase a dehumdifier where the litter boxes are kept. Or is there an outlet for a plug in air freshener?? As for the cats themselves if you the realtor has an open house I would agree with Karen's idea of removing the cats from your house. Yrs ago and a different cat-we were renting a house that was for sale and the realtor kept the doors open-I mean open do you just walked in!! I didn't know this was planned and freaked out when we went back to the house I couldn't find my cat for hours-she I believe was in the house but I was really upset that the realtor did this!!
Where abouts in VA do you live as my sis lives near charlottesville??

Well, if we don't find a good alternative, the realtor said we could leave them here. He would put a note in the MLS comments about it and also put signs on the exterior doors to remind visitors. We might not always have the ability to come home a grab them prior to a visit from a prospective buyer. I think they help make the house a home, and they sleep all day in their bedroom, so they shouldn't cause any problems - its just the fact they MAY be a deterrent (so the realtor says) to people who don't like cats or are sensitive to pet stuff. In all honesty, the most noticeable smell is from their cat food - litter boxes (3 of them) are pretty inoffensive. The plan is to bake fresh bread and things like that on a regular basis to get really good smells going on.

We would definitely take them for a ride or something during the open house. My parents may agree to house them, but my dad is sensitive to cats and dogs, so we would probably have to confine them to one room.

Thanks for your suggestions - its helping relieve some of my stress about this.

I used to live in Charlottesville (which is where I adopted the cats), but now live in Richmond.

As far as making the house smell good, I bought a few of the Yankee Candle plug ins and used those to give the house a nice scent. I woudl also burn scented candles before someone visited, though nothing overly strong or offensive.

Oh and make sure you have a pot of coffee on as well

I don't mind cats as much, but I wouldn't buy a house that a dog was living in. I would probably try to get a pet free one in fact. I love animals but when searching for a house you kinda want a new one, even a used new one, but pets kinda make it feel... unfresh. Not the smell, just the feeling. And I have indoor cats, my house is clean, but I would hide my cats before trying to sell!