Housemates don't want a cat

butlerjustine

Hi,

I've been living in my partners house for 18months and he has 2 other tenants.

I've been asking to get a cat for about a year and finally got my partner to agree but now one housemate (2 months in the house but was a previous tenant) said no as he doesnt like how they can jump up on counters top.

Its a difficult situation as I've had my heart set on it for a few months now and such a harsh no is difficult to take. Do it sound unfair?

Hopefully in a year or 2, we will be able to cover the mortgage confortably without tenants.

Thanks

Nody

Harsh maybe but that's the reality of co-sharing a house; everyone get's a say in it.

enda1

I you want your way in such a decision, I suggest moving to your own place. I would certainly be of the same opinion as that tenant!

johnwest288

To be honest a cat or dog may hinder his future tennant searches. SOme people allergic etc or just dont like animals. Its just another thing for him to worry about. Maybe an aquaurium?

butlerjustine

I live in my partners house so not an option for me to move out.

Yawns

It's not unfair at all. The tenant doesn't like or want a cat and he's a right to say no. Not unfair in anyway.

pitythefool

I was once that tenant and said no, they got one anyway and twice the cat went missing, once i found him injured in a field, the lads were away on holidays and i was stuck looking after the cat, glad the cat was ok but at the same time fuming that i had to look after a pet that wasnt mine for two days while they enjoyed Poland and Canada

butlerjustine

I totally understand that a tenant taking care of somoene else's pet is not on.

If we go on holidays, it will stay in a kennel and if we are away for one night, my friend who lives locally with take care of it.

pitythefool

I also had to make sure the cat stayed in the house when it was a kitten, put up with poop everywhere let the cat out at certain times and back in at certain times even when the lads were in the house

butlerjustine

Well that's not on. That sounds like when a child gets a pet and the parent doesn all the work. Not good at all.

super_furry

Unless everyone in thew house is in agreement, you really shouldn't go ahead with it.

stargazer 68

super_furry wrote: »

Unless everyone in thew house is in agreement, you really shouldn't go ahead with it.

While I agree with the tenants point (and I have a cat) it is her OH house so technically he is the landlord and can get a cat if he wants (although I don't think he actually does). He does run the risk of the tenant moving out though.

butlerjustine

Of course we wont get it if the tenants don't agree. That's the reason I'm dissapointed now as I know I can't get it.

We tried to explain that it will sleep outside and be outside for most of the day. It will only be inside a lot at the start. I thought he would accept it as a cat is so much less hassle than a dog. He actually said a dog would be better as it doesnt jump up on counters but a dog needs a lot more time and attention that we can give it. Cats can be trained to not jump up on things.

He is the landlord yes and the house is appealing to tenants based on the number of people who called him very shortly after it was up on daft. Obviously that would change with a pet but still. I know my friends were informed of changes by their landlords without consulation so we are obviously not doing that.

Ziegfeldgirl27

No offense but what is the point in getting a pet cat when it will be outside all the time when it is old enough?

butlerjustine

It will be inside full time for a couple of weeks until its old enough to go outside. It will be inside when I am home but when I'm not around it will be outside playing or in the shed where it will sleep.

Rochester

Don't get one, the conditions sound less than ideal for the poor animal.

touts

Many people dislike cats. Cat people think cats are clean animals because they publically lick themselves every now and then. But in between they might have tucked into a rancid bird carcass or walked across a filthy toilet floor. He is spot on in saying they will jump up on countertops as well as tables, chairs and couches and beds and pillows. And even if you manage to keep the creature indoors 24/7 it will still leave tiny annoying hairs all over the place which means no one else in the house can wear dark outfits. Plus if he is the landlord it is his furniture the animal will rip up by sharpening it's claws.

Basically how would like it if he brought in a pet rat?

ronan45

And another thing i Dont care what anyone says .... If theres a pet in the house the house WILL have a certain smell to it. It will affect future tenant occupancy to some degree so its his call :cool:

SillyMangoX

I wouldn't be getting a cat of I were you, it's not fair to have it out sleeping in a shed in the freezing cold weather we're having, unwanted by everyone but you. Wait a few years until you get your own house then you can get a cat which you can keep indoors which is way safer and way more fair on that cat

pitythefool

butlerjustine wrote: »

Well that's not on. That sounds like when a child gets a pet and the parent doesn all the work. Not good at all.

It wasnt the housemates fault that i had to let it in and out, sometimes the cat would not come back till all hours and i might just happen to notice it and let it in, keeping the cat in is much worse when it is too cold outside as the cat will just run out anyway and you have to get it back in if you are the only one in the house for fear of the lads moaning, also cats dont sleep in sheds like dogs, they will always try and come back into the house

angeldaisy

I don't have a problem with cats, but I do remember when I had to move in with a friend for a couple of months, and she had a cat. I came home one day to find it fast asleep inside of her le creuset griddle pan on top of the cooker in the sunshine:D
He would only ever lie on the counters when she was away - clever cat:D

Victor

Will the cat be able to afford the rent?

FloatingVoter

I'm a cat person (well the cat is a me person:rolleyes:) myself but I know some people actively dislike them. My advice is not to get the cat - compromises have to be made and a cat will sense any hostility.

sambuka41

On the note of the tenants then I would say your partner has a right to get a cat, he is the landlord, if they don't like it move out. If you all were renting the place that would be a different story.

Also my friend just moved to a house recently BECAUSE there was a cat!!! She can't have one at moment so she gets cuddles this way!!

BUT in saying all that I wouldn't get a cat now if I were you. Personally I wouldn't be bothered by the tenants but it's most definitely not fair to leave the cat outside, and the other guys might be cruel to it when you aren't around, who knows?

Not worth it all, not great for you, not great for cat.

enda1

sambuka41 wrote: »

On the note of the tenants then I would say your partner has a right to get a cat, he is the landlord, if they don't like it move out. If you all were renting the place that would be a different story.

Also my friend just moved to a house recently BECAUSE there was a cat!!! She can't have one at moment so she gets cuddles this way!!

BUT in saying all that I wouldn't get a cat now if I were you. Personally I wouldn't be bothered by the tenants but it's most definitely not fair to leave the cat outside, and the other guys might be cruel to it when you aren't around, who knows?

Not worth it all, not great for you, not great for cat.

If the tenant came into the property under the understanding there weren't any pets, then he has rights to have his wishes respected. Being landlord or not doesn't have any relevance on the tenent's rights.

kylith

AFAIK, if your OH owns the house then he can say that he's getting a cat, and that's that. If the tenant wants to move out then they can.

However, if you are planning to have the cat in for only a few hours a day, and then roaming the neighbourhood and sleeping outdoors I would urge you to rethink getting a pet until your circumstances change and you can keep it in most, if not all, of the time.

pitythefool

kylith wrote: »

AFAIK, if your OH owns the house then he can say that he's getting a cat, and that's that. If the tenant wants to move out then they can..

True but he is trying to pay for the house so tenants might be important

kylith

pitythefool wrote: »

True but he is trying to pay for the house so tenants might be important

They might be, but I doubt you'd have too much trouble finding someone to move into a house with a cat, they wouldn't be dealbreakers for a lot of people.

Yawns

The way it was laid out it seems the Landlord, the op's partner, is relying on the tenants to cover at least some of his mortgage as they probably could not cover it all on their own. Just judging from one of the last lines in the OP itself.

Hopefully in a year or 2, we will be able to cover the mortgage confortably without tenants.

Not getting a cat now is for the best in case the tenant does end up moving out and can't be replaced right away and such costs that may be required to do up a room for a new tenant.

Yawns

butlerjustine wrote: »

We tried to explain that it will sleep outside and be outside for most of the day. It will only be inside a lot at the start.

This is just bizarre to me. You want to have a pet cat that will not be there most of the day. You realise cats are not loyal and will wander off. They will stay somewhere they get fed. When the cat is no longer young what will the difference be between your cat and a stray neighbourhood cat?

él statutorio

Wait til the tenant moves out and when the next tenant is coming in say that you're getting a cat, if they don't like it they won't move in. Simple.

pitythefool

or try and pay for the house and then get a cat

SillyMangoX

Tenants or no tenants, being left outside at night (trust me it will not stay in a shed, they ALWAYS escape) is just a no no. My cats spend more time in than they do out, and by no means are the ever ever aloud out at night, tbh the attitude of having it indoors as a small kitten then leaving it out once its big enough is not the right attitude to have when it comes to cats. They shoud be as much a part of a household as any other pet. This is why there is such a huge cat problem in Ireland. People have a nice cuddly kitten, all lovely inside. Suddenly before you know it, kitten is sexually mature (as young as 4 months) , spraying, calling and scratching. So kitten isnt quite so cute and cuddly when your dealing with tom spray or queens calling at 3 in the morning. So the cat gets chucked out back, fed once a day to keep it coming home, gets pregnant or gets another cat pregnant and as they are outside, wont have proper human interaction so become semi feral. They mate and the cycle starts again. At night time then there is the whole risk on the roads, not to mention pissed off neighbours when the cat roams. Already this week there was a thread on someones poor cat losing their leg after being shot by a pissed off neighbour. OP im not saying this is what you will do but its such a common story now in Ireland. Think long and hard if you decide to go through with it.

sligoface

OP, it sounds like you have little respect for your rent-paying housemates and little idea how to care for an animal properly.

You want to get a kitten and then let it become a part time stray, against the wishes of some poor fella who is living with his landlord and his landlord's girlfriend. That's so unfair to the cat and to the tenant.

Yawns

sligoface wrote: »

OP, it sounds like you have little respect for your rent-paying housemates and little idea how to care for an animal properly.

You want to get a kitten and then let it become a part time stray, against the wishes of some poor fella who is living with his landlord and his landlord's girlfriend. That's so unfair to the cat and to the tenant.

To be fair the OP doesn't want to go against his wishes. She's just upset that he said no and she has respected his wishes by agreeing not to get a cat. She's just asking on here if it's unfair for him to say no and I have to say it's not unfair for him to. He doesn't want a cat and has given some reasons for it. The OP is now not getting a cat but will wait until herself and her partner live alone or with tenants who want one.