Tough Choice : Re Getting a pet (1 Viewer)

[Alex Spindler]

I've found myself in a tough decision. I had just about convinced myself to finally get a pet. I was going to get a cat because they are a good deal more independent and can survive longer given my more erratic work hours. However, my apartment requires a $150 non-refundable fee, $150 deposit, and $20 per month per pet.

So, my difficulty is justifying a pet when it will cost me $300 upfront and $240 every year in addition to all of the general costs of pet ownership (vet visits and the like).

I need some nudging, because I think a pet would be good for me. Should I drop most of the extra channels on my cable service in exchange for a cat?

 

[Brian Johnson]

Thats pretty unfair of your apartment to ask that kind of money to keep a cat.
My apartment made me put down a $100 deposit, which I believe (couldnt find my lease agreement) is refundable. That, and $15/month extra on my rent.
It's one of the reasons I chose this particular place, couldn't be without "kitty" =)

 

[Mathew Shelby]

I hate to be the bad guy, but has anyone ever considered not telling their landlord/leasing agent. We got a kitten from the pound two years ago and she has never once peed or pooed where she shouldn't. My girlfriend was quite skeptical about getting a cat because neither of us have ever had pets before. I can't say how much she (Sierra) has improved the quality of my life. She watches movies with me on the couch and she sits on the counter and nibbles on leftovers while my girlfriend cooks dinner. As far as food and litter goes, we have tried all the premium brands of food even that expensive crap where the cat is eating out of a crystal glass and she will only eat Walmart brand cat food. The same with litter-and at

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I hate to be the bad guy, but has anyone ever considered not telling their landlord/leasing agent.

That's exactly what we did many years ago before getting married. My future wife had an apartment, and got two kittens that had been rescued by friends. We then moved the kittens to my apartment when we consolidated living quarters before getting married and buying a house.

The risks are (1) if the landlord or maintenance crew needs to get into your apartment for some reason, or (2) you may lose your security deposit if the animals damage the unit. In our case, the maintenace guys didn't mind the pets, and neither cat did any damage to the apartment.

BTW, the two cats are now 14 years old and still healthy, happy members of our family.

 

[Jeremiah]

If you do not mind cat hair being EVERYWHERE and I mean EVERYWHERE than I would get a cat because pets are nice to have. I like animals but I do not like having them in my apartment, I just took on 2 of my moms Hymalayans(shes in the hospital) and I have to vacuum 2-3 times a week if I want by carpet to be pretty clean. Their hair is just all over the place. I was lazy and left my new black coat over my kitchen chair one night and it took me a good 1/2 and hour to get all the hair out of it.

Feeding them and cleaning the cat-box is no big deal but man there is hair everywhere. I don't know your age or if you have people over a lot or if you are a loner, so if that wouldn't bother you than right on get one.

I am supposed to pay about $10 per cat but I haven't told my landlord yet, I they find out I will tell them what's going on.

 

[Lee L]

I am supposed to pay about $10 per cat but I haven't told my landlord yet, I they find out I will tell them what's going on.

If they find out, they will know what is going on.
I would say, go ahead and get the cat. I have 2 dogs that I can't imagine being without.

 

[Alex Spindler]

Thanks for the responses. I too believe that having a pet will do good for me.
I don't think I would be sneaky about having a pet. I'm going to try and talk with the apartment people and see if there is any kind of a break they can offer me as I've been a pretty good and consistent tenant.

I can't say how much she (Sierra) has improved the quality of my life. She watches movies with me on the couch and she sits on the counter and nibbles on leftovers while my girlfriend cooks dinner.

That's just the thing I think I'm missing, which is really prompting this kind of question.
I've grown up around pets my whole life, so the cat hair situation is something I'm used to.

 

[Duncan Jones]

You could have some fun with your Landlord.
Write and tell him you are thinking of getting a pet and ask how much extra would be charged for.... and then list some exotic animals Warthog, King Cobra, Pygmi Hippo (you have a bath right) 30 foot annaconda ect.

 

[Ryan Wright]

I personally wouldn't tell the landlord if I had an indoor cat. Unless someone sees it sitting in a window sill, and assuming you clean up after it (cleaning the litter box, vaccumning hair) to ensure a clean and smell-free apartment, nobody will ever know. Cats are generally silent critters that cause few problems.
A dog, on the other hand, will rat you out in no time flat. Even if it's quiet, it still has to go on a little journey to the lawn several times per day.
(Let it be known that I prefer dogs: Shallow, needy animals make me feel important, and I just can't get that from a cat)

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Cats are generally silent critters that cause few problems.

This reminds me of a funny story from my apartment/cat days. Our kittens loved to wrestle each other in our bath tub, and our unit's bathroom shared walls with three other units' bathrooms. The cats would make quite a commotion while playing. I'm sure our neighbors were very curious as to what we were doing in our bathroom.
BTW, I do not miss apartment living one bit.

 

[Jack Briggs]

The solution to rampant cat hair: brushing daily. Works all the time.

 

[Lew Crippen]

What Jack wrote.

Also consider contacting someone who is in the cat rescue business. We have recently acquired two Siamese this way. Both gentle, loving cats, who might otherwise have been destroyed.

 

[Alex Spindler]

I would definitely be picking one up from a pound or similar location. I really can't see the point of going to a pet store considering the population and all.

Thanks for the responses all. I'm pretty close now. I don't really want to sneak a cat in behind their backs, so I'm going to talk to them about any breaks they could give me.

 

[KyleS]

Ok that is just nuts for a landlord to charge an extra fee PER month to have a pet in your house. Sure I can see charging a non-refundable deposit since the apartment will most likely need additional cleaning. Heck I can even see charging another $150 that is refundable but to simply charge an extra per month fee.... For what? If someone has pets in an apartment and they do damage then go after the tenants in court. If they dont like that then just dont allow pets at all.

That being said pets can be great companions and friends. I personally couldnt see owning a dog in a small apartment but cats are pretty happy in almost any size apartment/house.

KyleS

 

[Ted Lee]

cats are great. although you should decide what you want out of the cat. i have two. one is totally affectionate and the other is more stand-offish. so, they obviously each bring something different to the table.

i must admit i like the affectionate one ("charmie") more. the bitchy one ("sketchy-cat") takes a little more tolerance on my part.

but i dig 'em both.

as far as costs go, it's not too bad. the initial costs are the worst cuz you have to get everything done. after that, just buy the stuff in bulk and you'll be okay.

oh yeah. get the automated cat litter box...that thing is great!

 

[Kevin T]

had two cats, two birds, and an iguana...lived in two different apartments for over 3 years and never once told them i had pets. i had 0 problems whatsoever. as far as the maintenance guy goes....he doesn't look at your lease so he doesn't know that you aren't already paying. just to be on the safe side though, i used to lock my cats in a bedroom while the maintenace guy was in the apartment. the birds and iguana were caged so that was a non-issue in my book.

kevi nt

 

[Philip_G]

get some fish
I prefer saltwater.. but it's up to you
I'd kill to have a dog, but it's just so limiting, around here very few apartments will allow pets, and when they do they want to charge an arm and a leg, so until I have a house it's just not going to happen.

 

[Iver]

A very wise man once said:

"There are only two things that make life bearable: music and cats."

I wouldn't worry much about hair as you can regularly brush the cat, as suggested above, or, with any luck, you'll get one that doesn't shed much.

One thing to keep in mind is that cats need to scratch regularly. Hopefully, you can get your cat interested in a scratching post.

Personally, I have simply sacrificed my easy chair (a yard-sale special in the first place). There's not too much you can do about it if your cat takes a liking to a piece of furniture as a scratch place.

This is the one area where you might truly run into some kind of damage problem. If there's a piece of built-in furniture, such as a cabinet unit, that's a permanent part of the apartment, you may end up liable for repair costs from damage from scratching.

Some people have their cats declawed in order to deal with this problem. People who do this have an irrevocable date with a very hot, hot place. Declawing a cat is the equivalent to surgically removing a person's fingers down to the first joint.

The operation where they remove the cat's claw tendons is just as bad in terms of leaving the cat almost completely defenseless.

Anybody who would maim their cat for the benefit of furniture should probably think long and hard about whether they are ready to have a cat in the first place.

End of sermon on declawing.

One other thing to keep in mind is that some people are allergic to cats. However, even if you or somebody in your family has had an allergic reaction to some cats in the past, this does not mean you will necessarily have an allergic reaction to all cats.

You seem to have made up your mind now and I applaud your decision. Cats are very rewarding companions and they practically define the term "low maintenance."

If you have a particular quality you want, be choosy about the cat you adopt. It's just a myth that cats are not friendly. The level of the various personality traits varies greatly from cat to cat. When evaluating a prospective feline, carefully note it's behavior. See if it approaches you, shies away, or whatever. Choose accordingly.

 

[CaseyLS]

What's so bad about declawing cats? We had both of our cats declawed and they have never seemed to hold it against us.

 

[Max Leung]

...they have never seemed to hold it against us.

If I didn't have any claws, I wouldn't be able to hold them against you either.