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I had one cat (he died of Leukemia this past April) when I was selling my home in 2015. He was the type to run and hide whenever anyone would come in the home. I just advised the realtor that they may see a black streak. He will climb up and under my comforter and stay there (thinking he was completely hidden and unaware that he made a huge lump in the bed lol)
I made sure the litter box had fresh litter, and the area was cleaned everyday before I left. All toys were put away.
My home sold in 3 days (probably due to the Houston market at the time). I had multiple offers (12 in 48 hours) and no one seemed to be bothered by the cat.
The realtor did mention that the bed did look weird with the lump in the middle though.
My kitties stayed in the house too. Sold 4 houses with kitties in them, and never had a problem.
Thank you everybody. I really appreciate all the ideas. Since this is at least a year or two (at the least) down the road, who knows what will happen by then. Maybe new furniture. Maybe we'll decide not to move and all this will be for naught. We'll figure it out one way or another. But NO declawing.
We are currently in the process of getting our house ready to sell. We have two dogs, two cats, two rats, a guinea pig, and a sea snail. We took all of the animals away so that our house can be shown pet free. We are living with my in-laws including all of our animals.
That's fine if you have that option. Not everyone does.
Okay first? It's so easy to train a cat to use a scratching post (in the form of a cat condo).
Slip covers.
Cats and litter boxes should be made invisible. If someone is allergic it's already going to be a bad situation if they have an attack. So having the cats there is a bad idea, imo. Maybe a neighbor's garage in carriers? A neighbor WAY down the street!
If you don't want to purchase new furniture before the move, look at some second hand stores or Craigslist. Sometimes something can be found cheaply that will look better than what you have. Another alternative is to buy slipcovers from some place like T.J. Maxx.
Although people aren't buying you're furniture they will notice the condition. It can make them wonder what other damage exists in the house--even if they can't smell the cats.
Someone with a cat allergy will notice it even if there is not a smell. One of sisters has a cat allergy. Even after we no longer had our cats and cleaned carpets, etc. she would still have a mild allergic reaction in our house.
Just get a couple of throws, you put on just before each showing....and then put away til needed next time.
You can't go wrong with Sure Fit.....I've used them for years, very nice and reasonable priced. Every style you'd want. You can even find them at rummage sales at times.
Theres always going to be issues with a house that will be deal breakers for some people. Having cat smell in the house is certainly one of the issues that will dissuade some buyers...some wont care.
Im one of those that can definitely smell cat, even when the homeowner swears they've cleaned and disinfected and theres no more smell. Deal breaker for me, but certainly not for others.
Slipcovers on the furniture to hide the scratchmarks.
We kept our kitty litter in the unfinished basement and made sure it was sparkling clean when we had showings. Cats were put into carriers and loaded into the car in the garage during showings. Dog was also put in the car in the garage during showings.
I know im in the minority but im not much of an animal lover, and seeing someones cats roam a house im going to spend couple hundred thousand on I would pass on it.
I think it's nice that you're asking, OP. We are buying in a hot sellers market (seattle area) and in TWO houses we've seen the owners put the cat(s) in a room and said, "Don't go in that room." !!
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But NO declawing.
