3 Cats and not "boots on the ground" having serious relocation issues. (apartments, leasing agent)

[Sondeera]

It's so hard for neighbors to tell. Even some of my friends who come to my house regularly would get confused as to whether we have two or three cats. Looking similar is the key. Besides, you always butter up the neighbors.

Honestly, I agree with the previous posters that you'll need to spend more time out here. Keep in mind that while some people show on weekends, we encountered many that preferred to show properties during the week. I printed out generic Oregon rental applications and pre-filled them, my husband and I signed them, and he took them up with him when he went to get our house. Be prepared to get a money order/cashier's check just in case your landlord doesn't want to take an out of state check. In the super hot neighborhoods my understanding is that driving/walking around on a regular basis is really the way to find rentals. In the less scorching hot areas, Craigslist, Padmapper, Trulia, and Hotpads were very useful for us. Be sure to tell your landlord that you have mature, well-trained cats (that's how I always introduced mine and received a positive response). It never hurts to offer a more generous deposit, as well as current landlord reference in exchange for having pets. Best of luck on your hunt!

[skiffrace]

Did they have three cats?

People have the right to have pets, and animals have the right to have a home.
3 cats, or 3 average dogs are fine. 8 cats, or 3 pitbulls, or a horse would be not.

I wouldn't lie. All it takes is one nosy neighbor who feels obligated to snitch and that's the end of it.

If the cats are kept inside, it is very unlikely anyone will ever know. And even if it ever comes out, the owner will most likely turn a blind eye, as long as they are good tenants.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by skiffrace

People have the right to have pets, and animals have the right to have a home.
3 cats, or 3 average dogs are fine. 8 cats, or 3 pitbulls, or a horse would be not.


If the cats are kept inside, it is very unlikely anyone will ever know. And even if it ever comes out, the owner will most likely turn a blind eye, as long as they are good tenants.

True, but then that puts the landlord in a sticky situation. In my building my landlord allows up to two cats but no dogs. A new-ish tenant snuck in a small dog after moving in. We all knew but no one snitched. I am pretty certain the landlord knew too. Then one day a new tenant moved in. She had a small dog and was told "No dogs." She gave her dog to her sister figuring at least she could keep the dog in the family and would be able to visit it.

But when she found out that the other neighbor was allowed a dog she raised a hissy. Why that neighbor and not her? The rental agreements clearly stated "no dogs." You can't really blame her for being upset. Someone else in the building said they had kind of wanted a dog too. It was a good tenant who had lived in the building for five years and felt he had proved himself worthy of being a good dog owner. Up until then he hadn't said anything but as long as the subject was being raised.......Well the old bandwagon got jumped on.

So because the landlord bent the rules for one person and one person only, it become kind of tense. The blind eye the landlord turned, for which he thought he was being nice, backfired on him. He felt he had not choice but to tell the newest tenant to get rid of her dog or move. She moved.

So from then on, no dogs meant no dogs. This may be an extreme case I will grant you but it can happen. I have been a renter long enough where I have seen similar things take place that resulted in people either having to move or having to get rid of the pet. That's why I, personally, wouldn't take a chance on smuggling in a pet or lying about it. For me it wouldn't be worth the risk.

[oldtintype]

Dogs are much harder to hide than an extra cat. Out of those three cats I bet there's at least one that hides when people come over and only partially exists (as in when no one's around).

When we had two cats I mentioned that we had a cat, and then we had another cat that lived in the closet. I figured it was equivalent to 1.5 cats since it only partially existed .

[Yankeemama]

I agree with the posters about cats looking similar and honestly, as you get older, you cannot always remember that some of your friends or neighbors even have a cat(s), let alone know one is a tabby and another a grey, short hair. The problem, IMO, is there is a huge difference in the way an apartment smells as you increase felines. And I love cats but I think the odor will be apparent to the landlord or apt. manager.

[lookinforhorseparadise]

Originally Posted by Twilighter

I know that as a politician it may be difficult for you to understand this, but the importance of standing by one's commitments is worth extra work and creative solutions. It may be "just a cat" to you, but it is a vulnerable being who relies entirely upon OP for his/her well being. Since there's no magical farm where unwanted cats can romp out the rest of their lives, and it's kitten season across the country (and therefore intakes of adult cats is greatly reduced at shelters), if OP considered getting rid of one of their cats as an option, they would have to rely upon the kindness of a relative (if they were very lucky) or resort to euthanasia. Now that OP has stated that's not an option, perhaps we can keep our eyes and ears out for a real solution.

Well put......my chances of winning the lottery are probably greater than an adult cat's odds of making it out of the shelter alive. Doesn't matter how nice, or how cute, the majority of adult cats entering kill shelters are euthanized. Why do the end up there? Well, one reason is the "disposable pet" mentality.....moving day turns into D day for the poor cat.
OP, best of luck to you and thanks for standing by your cats. I have received similar negative comments about my 2 dogs preventing me from finding a rental but I will never consider dumping them. In fact one I adopted off death row (his last day!!) because someone dumped him roadside. If/when I actually do ever find a place I REALLY want, I plan to follow all the good suggestions previously mentioned on here, including voluntarily offering a huge pet security deposit. I can only hope that works. I may resort to begging lol.

You might try contacting local Portland cat rescue people/feral cat feeders, vet's offices, etc. They might lead to potential landlords, you just never know.

I was looking at one property recently thru a private ownership company called Nice and they LOVE cats. LOVE CATS! In fact they say on their pet policy page that they usually don't even ask for a pet deposit for cats (they do for dogs) and they generally allow for the adoption of more (even kittens adopted) while you are a tenant. Imagine that! The properties all look impeccably kept, especially since they are mostly vintage....but as with everything they may not have vacancies at the time you want/need. I would email them and see. Maybe someone on here knows them. They have a great descriptive website. Here is a link
Nicerentals ? Portland, Oregon

[Foreverking]

Originally Posted by Minervah

I wouldn't lie. All it takes is one nosy neighbor who feels obligated to snitch and that's the end of it.

I did it for 5 years. Get a top floor apt.

[raubre]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

I will allow Dogs (Actually Dog) in my rentals, but cats are out. Maybe one female spayed. But I would require frequint landlord visits too insure the litterbox was not taking over. No pit bulls period.

Most landlords won't rent out to people with dogs, but cats are OK. That just seems odd.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by Foreverking

What??? Give up the PETS...NEVER!!!! Just tell the landlord you have two cats...unless all three are in the window, who the heck will ever know.

It must be a new generational thing where it is ok to lie.

[oldtintype]

Yeah because older generations never lied about anything.