I'm a Spaz, Right?

mirinae

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At some point today (we think), our landlady is coming with her husband and some other handyman-types to install a folding french door on our living room, so that we can shut the cats out of the living room at night and still provide them access to the rest of the apartment. (I've posted about this before: crazy lady downstairs thinks the cats are too loud at night, and her tiny apartment is directly beneath our living room [her apartment is the size of our living room, whereas we have the second floor of the house to ourselves], so if we keep the cats out of the living room at night, in theory she can't hear them and will stop complaining. We had been shutting the cats up in our [fairly spacious] bathroom, but I was getting depressed because I felt like we were being unfair to our cats.) We didn't think the landlady would agree to installing a door in the living room, but it turns out that she's actually on our side with regards to the whole downstairs tenant/noisy cats situation (and she assured us repeatedly that at no point would she ever ask us to get rid of our cats or else move out); she also feels it's unfair to expect us to shut our cats up in the bathroom every night and she doesn't actually believe the cats could possibly be loud enough to bother crazy downstairs lady. So, big sigh of relief here! However, in order to placate the downstairs tenant, the landlady is willing to install the door (at first it was just going to be a regular solid door, but we pled esthetics and air-flow, and will be getting a pretty glass-and-wood folding french door, which we can then latch in place).

Aaaaanyway ... (Why can I never write short posts? Why?) I'm a bit nervous about this. Okay, "nervous" would be an understatement; I'm a hair's breadth away from freaking out, because the landlady, her husband and other random strangers will be in my apartment and I won't be at home! Now, the landlady has promised to do cat-wrangling duty to keep our (indoor-only) cats from racing out the door, but I know all too well that people are careless (especially people who don't have wily indoor-only cats and don't think it's any big deal if kitty goes outside -- "don't cats belong outside?") and I've never met her husband or the other people who'll be coming to help install the door. Besides that, it's my apartment, and I'm not really comfortable with random strangers (or even people I do know) traipsing through it. Not that I think they're going to steal or break anything, and not that we've left anything inappropriate lying around, but still ... I just don't like it! And normally I'd arrange to stay home from work (which I've done in the past), but we weren't sure they'd be coming today and I can't afford to miss a lot of work (especially since I just started this job!).

I know I'm over-thinking this and that I'm just being a spaz, but still, I worry. My cats are my babies and my apartment is my sanctuary. Somebody tell me they freak out about stuff like this, too?
 

beckiboo

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My dh does. We went away last weekend, and since I have 3 foster kittens I am taming, I asked a friend to stop by and visit with them. Of course, it is always handy to have someone check on cats if you are gone, as we were, for 48 hours. But with kittens, it is truly necessary IMO.

One morning she spent 4 hours with the kittens! Invaluable taming time for kittens who were found outside 2 weeks ago! But dh was totally uncomfortable with her being in the house. He suspected she would snoop. I really don't think she would...she is one of those friends you can really trust. But it wasn't so much her...it was the idea of someone in our house when we aren't. Silly man!

I can understand your worry about the kitties. I would have been tempted to lock them in a bedroom so they couldn't possibly get to the door, especially if yours try to sneak out. Luckily, none of mine have a clue on how to get outside, except my in and out boy.
 

mamacat

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I would worry too about them getting out. So no, you're not a spaz in terms of that. And in terms of having people in your apartment, I don't know, I generally don't mind, but I don't think it's unreasonable that other people are uncomfortable about it. It seems perfectly normal to feel that way. For me, well, this is going to sound weird, but the only time I can imagine feeling weird about it is if it were my Mom.
Only because she's nosy, and I don't like the idea of my Mom rifling through my stuff (yes, I know I'm an adult, but...it's my Mom
). But as strange as this sounds, I really wouldn't care about a total stranger doing it, as long as they didn't steal, break, or otherwise mess up something of mine. So maybe I'M actually the freak?
 

luckygirl

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No way would I let anyone in my place without me being home. I mean, if I had to work, I'd have my SIL come and stay at my house till the work is done. Or someone that I would trust with a key. But I don't trust anyone else, not even most "friends". You never know what people will do. And I've had many of my husbands "friends" steal from us, so I'm very protective. But people do it, they let my husband work on their homes all day when no one is around. The difference is that almost all of his work is referrals, so they get his name from a friend of theirs who gave hubby a great reference. And he would never jeopardize his reputation. And I'd definately have the cats in the bedroom. Your right, people are not as protective of cats as you are, cause they are your babies. I would not entrust them to just anyone. Also, contractors will be coming in & out, bringing the doors in, etc. Better safe than sorry.
 
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