How to find a new situation for a cat

January 6, 2005 11:03 AM

CatFilter. I have a friend in Berkeley, whose mom has been taking care of three family cats in Durham, NC. Her mom is starting a new job in New York and can only take two cats to her new apartment. My friend can take the third cat, but only after her lease expires in May. In the meantime, she needs the cat to be taken care of. Her family has asked everyone they know but no one can take this cat. What can she do? She is attached to this cat and wants to make sure it is well taken care of and loved.
posted by grouse to pets & animals (15 comments total)

Check with a cat rescue orginazation in the area. They often provide foster homes to cats in need. I'm sure a generous donation might help convince them to take the cat in for a few months.
posted by gokart4xmas at 11:09 AM on January 6, 2005

Why not just bring all three cats? Is she worried about someone coming in to do a cat count?
posted by bh at 11:12 AM on January 6, 2005

Yeah, like does NYC have a frickin Cat Gestapo or something? And they'd like shoot her on sight if they found one cat too many?
posted by xmutex at 11:15 AM on January 6, 2005

Having two or fewer cats is a term of the lease.
posted by grouse at 11:19 AM on January 6, 2005

There are some NC rescue organizations listed here... they may have some open foster home spots that might work out for the cat. Maybe one in Berkeley (California?) would be even better? I'd be prepared for a generous donation and firm assurance that there are plans to move it to its permanent home in May. I do worry that it'll be an upsetting 5 months for the poor thing, though. Stress does bad things to cats.

There's no way to negotiate for 6 months with three cats -- pay whatever extra deposit they'd want -- with the stipulation that she'd be down to two in May? I'm sure she's already done all she can, but it's a thought.

I wish I could foster, but my cat is pretty strictly a solo-cat right now. Maybe one of the AskMeFi CatPeople can come through. The cat must get along with others if it's lived with two pals all this time... how old is it? Does it have all its claws?
posted by kittyb at 11:31 AM on January 6, 2005

I think the Humane Society offers temporary care for cats; if not, they should be able to recommend someone who does.
posted by stefanie at 11:33 AM on January 6, 2005

Sounds like she wants to play it by the rules, but I second the thought that it would not be difficult to keep all three for a short time. The way cats hide out, it's not that easy to tell that there are actually 3 instead of 2, even if the landlords *do* a surprise walk-through (which they can't).
posted by scarabic at 11:48 AM on January 6, 2005

Just take all three to NY. We've had many cats and birds above our lease and have never had any trouble.
posted by corpse at 11:50 AM on January 6, 2005

I haven't even declared my cats on my lease (I clean up after them, I'm not paying someone else for the privelege) and have had maintenance workers play with them while in the apt. doing other work. No one really cares if there is one more cat, but a dozen more may raise some concerns.
posted by blackkar at 12:14 PM on January 6, 2005

While I agree that you probably wouldn't have much of a problem keep all three cats for a short period of time, if you decide to go that route make sure you have a backup plan in case something screwy happens and you have to find a temporary home for the third kitty on the quick.
posted by Cyrano at 12:19 PM on January 6, 2005

...a temporary home for the third kitty on the quick.

Or a temporary home for your friend's mother if the landlord is very serious about the terms of the lease.
posted by anathema at 12:49 PM on January 6, 2005

I've kept multiple cats on a single cat lease and 3 on a 2 cat. It's no big deal. Geeeeez. No one ever comes in and looks.

Also, your landlord has to give you 24 hours notice minimum before entering your property. In that time, you can get the cat boarded for the time the landlord will be there. This way, your cat will only need to be away from you for a few hours or a day. And even though it costs money, it's not like your landlord would be there THAT often.
posted by u.n. owen at 3:07 PM on January 6, 2005

You can board cats most everywhere there is a yellow pages. I think it cost my mother ~$10 a day to board her cats the last time she went away for a few days. Monthly might be cheaper.
posted by Mitheral at 3:13 PM on January 6, 2005

I agree with what most people are saying. I house 3 cats and 2 birds on a 2 cat lease. I had to pay $200 per cat on the lease and decided I'd only let them know about 2 of them. The other one is invisible when anyone else is in our apartment. One time I had to walk into the apartment with the property manager and all three of them were in plain view. The property manager commented on how cute she thought they all were.

Chances are, once the lease is signed and in the filing cabinet, no one is ever going to double check it to see how many cats you're supposed to have. I wouldn't recommend taking the cat in if you don't have any pets on your lease at all or the complex has a "no pets" policy, but if there are already pets on the lease, I can't see it being a problem. Three cats are just as messy as two, save for a few extra litterbox cleanings.

Alternatively, you mention your friend can't take the cat until her lease expires. Has she tried going to her current landlord to explain the situation and see if there's any way they can bend the rules for her?
posted by lynda at 1:53 PM on January 7, 2005

grouse: I live in Chapel Hill (next door to Durham) and may be able to help out if you are looking for temporary foster care for the cat. I'll email you if you like. Is the address in your profile current?
posted by stinkeye at 2:07 AM on January 8, 2005