Ever kept a cat in apt that doesn't allow them?

[DNova]

I'm currently living in an apartment that doesn't allow cats. I'm hoping that some of you have kept cats in apartments with no-cat policies, and if so, if you could share your experience with me. I don't know how they'd ever find out about my kitty (which would be solely indoors)

Any help/advice would be really appreciated!!

-Don the catless cat lover

[Cinder & Smoke]

Don ~ Your question reminds me of "Thumper"; my third roomie during my year at Penn State.

Human roomie and I decided (don't ask; I don't remember WHY?) to adopt a common "Bunnie Wabbit" to liven up our dorm room.

Got his name from his method of seeking companionship when we were out of the room ~ He'd back up to the hall door and *thump* away with his hind feet. Quite an attention getter as the door rattled rather loudly!

Our Resident Advisor lived right across the hall. Asked several times the first week, "What's banging on your door all the time? Nobody ever answers when I knock?"
Our answer: "Must be the wind through the window?"
"Your window's open? It's 40 degrees outside!"

He found out when "Thump" escaped the room one night and wandered into the shower room. The RA was sitting on the poddy when "Thump" hopped into the stall and said hello!

The RA looked the other way all year and Thumper seemed to enjoy his life in the dorm. (Do other Wabbit's enjoy pizza?) During holidays he'd get "loaned out" to someone who was staying at school. He flunked out of college after the first year - got adopted by a "townie" with a real house and wabbit hutch!

Don ~ Trust me - "They" will notice a Kittie room mate given enough time!

[Logan]

I agree with Phred. Find yourself an apartment that allows pets, pay the extra deposit, and live in peace. I did it once. I lived in a rented condo right after I graduated from Clemson. I was lonely, missed having a pet, and found Shrimp Boat, took her to the condo, where she was not allowed to be. She was absolutely no problem, never wet the floor, didn't make noise, didn't scratch the wallpaper. But there was one thing I forgot. In the spring, I LOVE to open my windows. Turned out all day, while I was at work, Shrimp Boat was sunning in the open window and every retired old lady in that complex saw her!! Thank goodness, they never did turn me in, and we moved out about a year later, but it was a problem everytime I needed maintenance to come in, I had to find a place for her to go.

You live and learn, but I think "honesty" is the best policy, really.

Oh, and Phred, I loved your story about Thumper! When I was a freshman at Clemson, my roommate went out shopping, and it was around Easter. Well, she saw one little duckling that was being trampled by the others, she bought him and brought him back to live in our room! He swam in the bottom of a vaporizer, and made a huge stinky mess in general! We kept him for a month, and then she finally realized ducks and dorm rooms weren't a good match. He found a home in the horticultural gardens pond.

[ October 26, 2001: Message edited by: Logan ]

[4 feline house]

DNova, not knowing you had posted this question, I had already addressed it here:
http://petoftheday.com/cgibin/ultima...&f=12&t=000415

To add to it and reiterate what other people have said here -

Cats love to sun themselves in the window. That alone almost guarantees you will be caught. If you are merely dodging a pet fee, most large apartments have too many legal pets for them to notice the ones here and there that are snuck in. But a cat sitting in the window of a no-pets apartment is like a neon sign saying "evict me".

Also, in Texas anyway, landlords can legally come into your unit under certain conditions without your prior permission or knowledge. So even if you have a fool-proof back up plan for everytime your landlord needs access to fix the garbage disposal, change the A/C filter, apply pest control, etc. you are still running a risk if something unexpected happens and your landlord must enter your unit without you knowing in advance.

Again, you live in Florida and things may be different, but Spencer's experience WAS legal and the cats COULD HAVE BEEN REMOVED BY THE MANAGER and he could have been evicted with only three days notice, even if he agreed to remove the cat(s). You might want to read your lease and/or consult with an attorney or visit the legal section of your library to find out exactly what can happen in Florida.

Please take everyone's advice and find a place that will welcome your kitty. I have been very lucky through the years and have often been able to find a place that charges no extra fees. But, of course, to do that you have to be willing to stay away from those "complexes" run by those management companies - in Texas they are nothing but legal highway robberymen - they'll fee and fine the food right off your table, even after you leave, like Spencer pointed out. (You must understand that it probably cost them about $100 to replace that carpet - they use cheap material and their own labor - most of the time they don't even replace it - they just clean it and dye it and still charge you for replacing it) Can you tell I used to manage apartments a long, long time ago?

[4 feline house]

Oh, and I just thought of two other things - almost no cat is soleley indoors - almost all of them escape now and then. Also, how would you get him back and forth to the vet?

[yorkster]

yes, I have done it- by the time I got the cat though, I had lived in this apt. for at least 6 months, paid rent on time, did not have parties or cause disturbances, did not ask for anything. At some point my landlord saw my cat, and did not do much because I was otherwise a 'model' tenant. There was one other time that I had a cat, and when I was asked about it, I said I was cat-sitting, and that seemed to work okay. I DID move though 6 months later when my lease was up.

[Uniqueviking]

I am doing it right now and I have 3 cats!!! Basically I do it the same way as described by Yorkster. My cats do sit in the windows and they also play with the blinds, but I have angreement with my mom that the landlord is very welcome to call and ask if I'm catsitting HER cats, he he!

When I have to take them to the vets I put them in the carrier and cover it with a sheet until I'm outta of peps's sight here - which only takes 1 minute and the cats know that and don't complain!

BUT I realise I have to move at some point, 'cos if I get complaints, I'll be told to either get rid of the cats or I'll get evicted. And I'd rather go camp on somebody's lawn than to abandon my babies!

[ October 27, 2001: Message edited by: Uniqueviking ]

[4 feline house]

The pet sitting may work in some communities, but most Texas leases plainly state that no pets are allowed in the apartment, and this includes temporarily, (I'm pet-sitting my mom's cats) and this even includes feeding a stray from an apartment (he's not really mine, he just wandered up and I'm trying to find a home for him). They cover all their bases because they've already heard all the cover stories. Just be very careful, and make sure you can move within whatever minimum notice the law allows. I know in alot of rent-control states that can be up to 30 days, but I believe others are as short as 24 hours. And you also need to make sure that you can move into a new place without a reference from your current landlord. Once you've been evicted or had a lease non-renewed, most other places don't want you moving in. Alot of people get away with it successfully, and alot of landlords are even willilng to look the other way, but since this is certainly nothing you can ask your landlord in advance about, you will have no way of knowing what will happen until it happens. Be prepared to experience what Spencer experienced if you go ahead with it.

[4 feline house]

Spencer, I'm beginning to think we must have lived in the same complex at one time - I had one of those Hitler managaers, too. She kept accusing my son of arson even though the perpetrator had already been arrested, convicted, and was serving time in the juvenile facility! We moved at the end of our lease, even though we loved our apartment, becuase she was bound and determined to make all the residents' lives h*@#, for no apparent reason that any of us could determine. We are still in touch with most of our former neighbors, and they have all since moved, and they all had problems with her. What makes people like that? Four years later she still runs that apartment, because I still see her car parked in front of the office from time to time. Most occupancies in this area are approaching 100%, but they have lease special banners festooned all over their buildings. You'd think the management company would have made the connection by now! But I digress, this thread is not about despotic apartment managers........

[ October 27, 2001: Message edited by: 4 feline house ]

[DNova]

Well I think I'll be carefully rethinking this. There is one possibility though...

In this apartment complex, there are 5 buildings each with 12 condos. The condos are privately owned by misc people. The woman that owns my particular condo is from Iowa, has kids going to school here as well, and seemed like a very nice person. (I met her when she came to check the place out, she hadn't seen it for 3 years) So, I'm thinking that maybe it's possible to call our manager and get her contact info, and then appeal to her .... it seems like it's worth a shot.

Wish me luck

And thank you for all the replies, I really appreciate it. And 4 feline house: The second kitten pic in your signature is SO CUTE!!!!


-Don

[4 feline house]

Isn't it, though? Everyone loves the little leaping kitty! My son showed it to me, it was in the sig of one of the members of a BB he goes onto, and I...ahem..."borrowed" it!

[Former User]

DNova we wish you GOOD LUCK!!!!

[Former User]

It said in our contract that we're not supposed to have pets, without written contract from the owner. Well, we phoned her and asked if we could take two cats, and she didn't have any problems with that What a nice woman she is! So, now we have Casper and Kitty then

[aly]

Eeeeeek, I wouldn't get a cat in a no-animal apartment because if you read the animal addendum on the contract, it states that they have the right to take your pet to the shelter if you have one and are not supposed to!!

Just take the extra time to find an apartment that allows animals. Thats what I always do. I don't always get to live where I want to, but it is worth it to have my babies with me!

[DNova]

Moving to a pets allowed place is not an option unfortunately. I have an awesome rate here ($335 including utils!) its just about the cheapest you can get. Great quality too.

ANY LAWYERS HERE?

I think I found a loophole

My lease says NOTHING about pets, however, at the end of the lease, it says

"Addendums to Lease: Exhibit B: Rules and Regulations"

Well I never GOT that Exhibit, nor did I sign it or get a chance to read it or anything! So even if that has a no-pets clause, how could it be legally binding to me? I plan to go to student legal services tomorrow to find out what my options are.

I really *NEED* a cat.

Thanks again for all your input!