Can't Figure It Out!

[jinx]

My husband and I have been looking for a less expensive place to rent.  Our current apartment isn't really bad, as far as rent goes, but it's just a bit much with the gas and food prices going up.  So, we've been searching the newspaper every chance we get.

The other day, I came across an ad for a 3 bedroom house, in the exact area we were wanting.  $395/month!  How wonderful, y'know?  So, we called, left a message, and the guy called back yesterday.  He'll take the dog, but was pretty...er...well, rude when Chris mentioned the cat.  Now, I love my cat.  Adore him.  He is hands-down my baby.  He got out of the house once, was missing overnight, and I missed work the next day so I'd be here if he came home (which, obviously, he did). 

Honestly, the guy doesn't even have a -real- reason to not allow cats.  He "just doesn't like them."

Thing is, I know we need a place, and this one's kinda perfect.  I also know I have a friend that would almost definitely take my precious kitty-fluff.  However...he's MY kitty, and I love him soooo much...I just don't know if I could do that.  I really, really don't.  I mean, I love the dog, too...but he's my hubby's baby.  My Crucio is MY baby, no one else's, and I had to do a LOT of talking to convince my husband to let me have a cat.

I guess I just don't know what to do.  T.T

In the infamous words of many a LOLcat...HALP PLZ?

[CatAshtrophy]

Don't do it. I'm sure you would regret giving away your cat. There are lots of places to live out there, but your cat is your cat and can't be replaced. You can find another place to live, and hopefully soon. Good luck!

[Tygrkat]

Don't do it. I'm sure you would regret giving away your cat. There are lots of places to live out there, but your cat is your cat and can't be replaced. You can find another place to live, and hopefully soon. Good luck!

I'm going to have to agree with CatAshtrophy. If you were in a situation where you abolutely HAD to move IMMEDIATELY, I'd suggest concidering having your friend as a 'foster parent' for your kitty, but if you have time to look for someplace more pet-friendly, I'd keep looking.

It's heartbreaking to have to leave a pet behind, even if you have full 'visitation rights', and it's confusing and stressful for the cat. If you can find a place that will let you keep the dog and your cat, everyone will be happier.

Best of Luck! 

[anne of oaktower]

I agree with CatAshtrophy...don't even give it another moment of thought.  I mean, really, now...how obnoxious!  If you had kids and this guy said the boys can live with you, but he doesn't really like girls and would rather you didn't bring them, what would you do?  (Some days I'd be willing to give up the kids!  LOL!)

I noticed that you're moving out of an apartment and the place you have potentially found is a house.  Sounds great, but don't forget that everything has a trade-off.  A house is going to be more expensive to heat and cool than most apartments.  While you may be saving gas money in the vehicles, you could wind up spending twice as much on heating bills.  Sometimes the grass looks greener, but then we find that it just doesn't taste very good.  (Especially, if you had to give up your baby to get it.)

Best wishes!

*BTW...that guy with the house who was so rude about the cat...yeah, that's just bad karma for him.  He's going to end up as a mouse in some future life and find himself living on a cat farm!   

[jinx]

Thanks guys!

I was talking to the friend that was with  me when I got my Crucio, and she told me this:

"You nearly lost him once (referring to the time he got out).  Don't let a house pull your family apart."

And...y'all are right.  xD  I can't give him up for a house.  I guess I just felt a bit guilty, in a way...selfish almost...for being all "Yeah, great house, but my cat's more important."  And it's not even like my husband made me feel that way.  xD  He actually suggested trying to "hide" the cat, like a secret.  We did it with the dog when we first got him, and that was -not- a fun experience.  So, yes.  Keep looking.  ^.^

[Lady Neysa]

I don't think you'll regret your decision.  You'll always find another perfect place to live, right?  On a side note, isn't it weird how with some animals, people can feel neutral about them, but with cats, it seems people either love em or hate em.  If the guy was that rude about the cat then he probably wasn't the landlord for you anyway.  I know it would've sent me running. 

[Random Girl]

I gave up my cat to move and I regretted it.

Also...where do you live that a 3 bedroom house only costs you $395/month???!?!??!?!?!??

Um...I"m looking for a 2 bedroom house to rent in the Twin Cities and I'm nary to find something less than $1200 that isn't a *shudder* condo.

[Hoowil]

Fur-kids are kids too. You wouldn't give away a child to make a move easier. If you're not pressed to go NOW, find someplace that takes all pets.

As for the landlord, cats can cause a little more damage than dogs. They scratch on things, like walls and door frames, if posts aren't available, to sharpen claws. And there is something about the smell of cat pee that just soaks into things. I say this as a caretaker of five cats, all of whome I wouldn't give up for the world. But they can leave there mark on a building, and like to do so more than most dogs.

[gypsylakat]

Fur-kids are kids too. You wouldn't give away a child to make a move easier. If you're not pressed to go NOW, find someplace that takes all pets.

As for the landlord, cats can cause a little more damage than dogs. They scratch on things, like walls and door frames, if posts aren't available, to sharpen claws. And there is something about the smell of cat pee that just soaks into things. I say this as a caretaker of five cats, all of whome I wouldn't give up for the world. But they can leave there mark on a building, and like to do so more than most dogs.

.. pee sure does.... our kitty decided he didn't like the litter all of a sudden and decided to pee more random places than before... still finding them... someplace in this room... in the hallway... yup yup.

[Joyce "Delfinia DuSwallow" Howard]

There's NO WAY I would ever give up the pets. Maybe suggest a small deposit for the cat? Good Luck.

[Charlotte Rowan]

Also...where do you live that a 3 bedroom house only costs you $395/month???!?!??!?!?!??

Um...I"m looking for a 2 bedroom house to rent in the Twin Cities and I'm nary to find something less than $1200 that isn't a *shudder* condo.

That's exactly what I was wondering!!

[jinx]

xD  I kinda live in Nowheresville, Ohio.  The nearest mall?  Around an hour away.  That'd be Highland County for ya, though.  This place was "all riled up" when we got the bowling alley...2 years ago.  The Walmart...not quite 6 years ago.  And the multi-plex theatre...about 10 years ago.  There are three very distinct groups of people here.  The very, VERY wealthy, the ones barely making it paycheck to paycheck, and the ones on welfare.  The pay is low, unless you work at the hospital or drive to one of the nearest cities.  Oh, the nearest thing that could really be called a city is around 45 minutes away.  So, the price of housing is low.  Everything else is kinda high, though.  It's a backward kind of place, really.  There's a lot of corn.  And cows.  And some soy beans.  xD  Seriously, until they put a stop to it about 7 years ago, we still "cruised" around the centre of town (the courthouse block) on Friday nights.  Yeah.  This place is -so- country.

My cat occasionally scratches the door frames even -with- a scratching post.  We're working on getting this apartment all fixed up before we move, anyway.  Carpet cleaning, touch up painting, minor sanding on the door frames.  The only thing we can't fix is the melted linoleum that's been there since a week after we moved in, which convinced me that my husband should never cook.  XD  That was fire damage, though, and we won't be liable for it, according to our rental agreement (and the landlord we had when it happened).  We're currently on our third landlord with the same apartment.

[Anna Iram]

Jinx, have you considered offering a deposit to cover any damage done by your kitty? Perhaps also, after you've repaired the current wear and tear on your apt., you could have your current landlord send a note stating there was no kitty damage, or that it was minor and you repaired it.  Maybe if he see's you are responsible for your pets he'll change his mind. Can't hurt to try.