Should I Tell My Landlord About My Service Cat?

[asdf1992]

The short of it is I'm moving to a new apartment. I've got 2 cats. The first I adopted had appointed herself as my service animal - I'm a insulin dependent diabetic and she would wake me when I went hypoglycemic. Sweet, I'm usually a dense sleeper so having a cat that would do that was awesome. So I took it up to train her to continue that - I keep turkey in the fridge for lunch and that was good motivation for her. And aside from the one night I let her food bowl get low (oops!) she has been 100% spot on at alerting me.

My state provides legal protection to people beyond what ADA provides - they recognize service animals beyond just dogs and miniature horses. And as far as the law is concerned, the work I've put in with training the cat is more than enough to qualify her as a service animal, which means she would be exempt from pet restrictions and all that jazz.

So having a cat, eventually she ended up with a "sibling" in that I found another cat that had a history of getting along with others. I could tell she needed an outlet for her energy, and having a friend to play with worked better than having to wait around for me to get home from work. So I adopted the 2nd cat, and decided that not telling the landlord was the easiest way since I had 1 on my lease I was paying for, and that cat had been trained to a service animal.


SO, NOW, THE SHORT OF IT.

2 cats, one is a service animal per the letter of the law. I've got no issue paying the fees and that stuff for the one who is just a pet. The question is, when I'm filling out paperwork at the new apartment, should I say I've just got 1, or "I've got 2, but one is a service animal" I don't want to have hassle if they freak out about the 2 for whatever reason, but I also don't want to start going off on service animals and accessibility stuff right at the start. I don't see why not declaring the 2nd would be an issue for others either - if the pet would be an allergy issue then so would the service cat.

 

[lavishsqualor]

I am a regional manager for a very large property management firm in Orlando, Florida, and I deal with service animal issues all day. First of all, are you disabled? Being diabetic does not automatically qualify a person for disability. In fact it's very hard to get any type of disability based on being diabetic alone. Secondly, if you are disabled under the ADA you need to understand that you're going to have to prove that your service animal--in this case a cat--can perform the task required to assist you with your disability. In most states the animal has to be trained by a designated trainer. I have some pretty darn smart cats but I'm not so sure that the species itself is really capable of alerting to hypoglycemia. That proof is not necessarily for your landlord but it's required before the animal can be deemed a service animal.

In my state you would have to provide your landlord with a letter from your treating physician stating that A) You are disabled under the current provisions of the ADA and that B) The purpose of the service animal is to alert you to an impending medical condition and, finally, C) That the animal you've chosen, a cat, is capable of such an action.

That's the documentation aspect of your questions.

As to whether you should disclose the existence of your second cat, my recommendation is yes.

Say someone has a legitimate service animal with all the proper documentation but I am alerted to the existence of a second animal in the unit. By law I can issue you a Seven Day Notice to Vacate for violating your lease agreement. I wouldn't do that but the fact remains that your landlord could. I would definitely force you to pay whatever pet fees, pet rents, deposits, etc., were required and you would have to do that immediately. There would be no grace period.

I always answer the same way when asked the question you've posted: Be upfront with your landlord. It can cost you a lot if you're not, including a bad landlord reference when you move.

 

[artiemom]

I have to agree with lavishsqualor Be upfront with the landlord, before you sign the lease, and well before you even get to that point. I mean it.. if you are not, it could be cause for issues, down the road.

Glad you cat can really help you.. that is awesome.. a very rare cat, indeed.

You need to be upfront.. if it is a smaller apartment building, then the landlord or property manager, may be able to bend the rules... if it is a larger one, you may have to pay an additional fee.. but, by all means, be truthful. and have a clause in the rental agreement. You never know what can happen in the future. You want yourself and your kitties covered...

I have always believed, not telling the truth will come back to bite you in the behind.. with a huge bite....

 

[Furballsmom]

The thing of it is, cats aren't quiet - they meow. This is the reason I have a couple little holes in my heart for a munchkin and a meezer that I wasn't able to take home from a shelter due to living in a no-animal apartment.
As mentioned, if someone wants to be a butt about it they could turn you in. Also in my case if somebody like management, or a service such as for plumbing repair had to enter my apartment, what would I do with the cat(s) especially because sometimes there was no warning of "oh, I'll be stopping by your place at such and such time...." ?

 

[lavishsqualor]

When I worked as a property manager years ago I let cats slide. Cats don't really tend to destroy things like dogs. Not to my mind, anyway. Even so, that was not the corporate policy.

Another thing to consider is that if you request maintenance in your apartment, anything from changing a light bulb to major plumbing work, the maintenance guys are ALWAYS going to report to the office the following: The condition of your unit; i.e., housekeeping; Evidence of any unauthorized occupants; And if there are any pets in the unit or signs thereof. Fluffy might not be out running around but if there is fur and dog food out then you're going to get hit with, at the very least, a pet-sitting fine. That fine will be accompanied by a Seven Day Notice to Cure instructing you to remove the animal or place it on your lease.

 

[LTS3]

What is the pet policy for the new apartment? If it says 2 pets are allowed, then you are fine with the two cats you have even if one is a "service" or "support" animal. If it says 1 pet, then you right run into problems even if you claim that the one or both cats is a "service" or "support" animal.

As Lavishsqualor said, to be a service animal the pet in question must be trained by a certified trainer and have the proper documentation. Training a pet yourself does not qualify.

Being diabetic isn't a disability. Some pets just have an ability to sense when something is not right and makes the owner aware of it.

 

[epona]

When I worked as a property manager years ago I let cats slide. Cats don't really tend to destroy things like dogs. Not to my mind, anyway. Even so, that was not the corporate policy.

Another thing to consider is that if you request maintenance in your apartment, anything from changing a light bulb to major plumbing work, the maintenance guys are ALWAYS going to report to the office the following: The condition of your unit; i.e., housekeeping; Evidence of any unauthorized occupants; And if there are any pets in the unit or signs thereof. Fluffy might not be out running around but if there is fur and dog food out then you're going to get hit with, at the very least, a pet-sitting fine. That fine will be accompanied by a Seven Day Notice to Cure instructing you to remove the animal or place it on your lease.

You haven't seen the state of my place, it looks like it's been shredded
Fortunately I own it, so it's not like I'm going to get evicted because of it.

 

[CommonCatOwner]

Say someone has a legitimate service animal with all the proper documentation but I am alerted to the existence of a second animal in the unit. By law I can issue you a Seven Day Notice to Vacate for violating your lease agreement. I wouldn't do that but the fact remains that your landlord could. I would definitely force you to pay whatever pet fees, pet rents, deposits, etc., were required and you would have to do that immediately. There would be no grace period.

This should be the exact reason why you state you have a 2nd cat.

Why are you worried about having 2 animals to begin with?

 

[lavishsqualor]

You haven't seen the state of my place, it looks like it's been shredded
Fortunately I own it, so it's not like I'm going to get evicted because of it.

The thing about cats is that while they will indeed absolutely shred furniture, they don't--at least in my experience--tend to damage the walls or the floors. There are of course super destructive kitties out there who would shoot my theory into next week.

 

[Willowy]

to be a service animal the pet in question must be trained by a certified trainer and have the proper documentation. Training a pet yourself does not qualify.

This is not true, as least under federal law (I'm not sure what different states do). Self-training a Service Dog is very common. Professional training is extremely expensive and would prevent most disabled people from having a Service Dog. Guide Dogs for the Blind are usually professionally trained but most other Service Dogs aren't. Under federal law a cat cannot be a Service Animal (only dogs and mini horses), but the OP said their state does recognize cats as Service Animals if they're trained to do something.

I knew someone who had a Service Dog and a couple of pet dogs, and she rented a house at some point so she had to deal with that. The Service Dog does not count against pet limits, because Service Dogs are not pets. So if there's a 1-pet limit you can have 1 pet plus the Service Animal, if it's a 2-pet limit you can have 2 pets plus the Service Animal, etc. But you do have to let your landlord know about all of the animals.

If you have any trouble I'm sure there are lawyers who are knowledgeable about ADA cases who could help.