DD's roommates brought cat home - WWYD?

[angierae]

How would someone else necessarily see the cat?

Mine love to sit on the window sills.

Yup, cats can't stay out of windows. Also, a friend had a cat she wasn't supposed to have, and the downstairs neighbors heard it running around and jumping off of things when they knew no one was home, and told the landlord they thought they had an animal up there. (Mmm, cheap flimsy apartments.)

 

[Bob NC]

She may not've chosen them. Regardless, she's going to have to work through situations like this all her life -- it's time for her to figure it out.

I'd be prepared to disappear to friends' apartments or the library quite a bit in those weeks

The self righteous on the Dis get more curious every day.

On one hand she should step up and take care of the problem herself, and on the other hand she should go hide from the problem?

I don't get some of the posters here.

 

[Marionnette]

The self righteous on the Dis get more curious every day.

On one hand she should step up and take care of the problem herself, and on the other hand she should go hide from the problem?

I don't get some of the posters here.

I understand Mrs.Pete's point completely. Whistleblowers are often removed from the situation if it presents a danger to them. My niece actually moved out but continued to pay rent on her share of an apartment because one roommate was dealing drugs from the place. Once she was out of the place, she tipped off the local police and the landlord. Perhaps that's an extreme example, but it goes along the same lines. That girl's friends still give my niece a hard time whenever they see her around campus.

And yes, my niece got lots of advice from many people, including her parents. But the decision on how to handle it was left up to her.

 

[girli565]

Who signed the lease at the apartment? Just your DD or all the girls living there? If it's just your DD t hen she needs to put her foot down and demand they either remove the cat or move out. If it's all of them on the lease then your DD should ask for her portion of the security deposit from the roommates immediately, and if they can't fork it over then take it out of the rent she pays.

 

[kwhite1022]

Most apartment complexes will use a blacklight when the lease is up, and use that to determine security deposits....so they will be found out, even if the cat is never seen.

 

[IUTBAM]

If it were my head on this particular chopping block, and if I wasn't getting along too well with the roomies anyway . . . I'd throw 'em under the bus and report the cat.

I agree. I think you mentioned that the roommates would make her life miserable if she did that? How about SHE makes THEIR life miserable instead if they act like jerks?? She needs to put herself in a position of not allowing them to walk all over her, especially when they are in the wrong. If I were her I'd tell them the cat has to GO within 24 hours. If they don't comply, I'd heading straight to the leasing office to have a word with management. And, as other poster suggested, I'd box up anything of value and get it out of the apartment in case the roommates do decide to go postal. It would be game on for me. No one should have to live in fear of retribution for doing the right thing. And as a parent of a college freshman, I would absolutely be ready to back her up if need be, by having a word (or two...or TEN) with those roomates if they get nasty. If their parents aren't willing to step up and teach them a lesson, I'm happy to oblige. I'm also sensitive about these types of things because I had loser roommates in college, and had no one to count on for support.

 

[Leajess99]

How would someone else necessarily see the cat?

Cats like laying in the sun so can often be seen in windows. My mom's cat and all of my neighbors who have cats like laying in the window. Heck, that is how my complex manager found out about my old neighbor's cat. I busted them for their unauthorized dog and she found the unauthorized cat.

If a cat is not spayed/neutered or declawed than there will be damage to the apartment. Every place that I have lived that says no pets meant no cats as well.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I would let your daughter handle it herself, she is an adult. It's not like she is in serious trouble, the worst that happens is either she's out 600 bucks or has to deal with angry roommates. Life is full of difficult circumstances and situations where you have to make tough decisions, she needs to learn to handle them herself. If she ask your advice give it, but it's her problem to deal with. Maybe this will be an expensive hard learned lesson about choosing roommates wisely.

agree.

 

[Leajess99]

I agree. I think you mentioned that the roommates would make her life miserable if she did that? How about SHE makes THEIR life miserable instead if they act like jerks?? She needs to put herself in a position of not allowing them to walk all over her, especially when they are in the wrong. If I were her I'd tell them the cat has to GO within 24 hours. If they don't comply, I'd heading straight to the leasing office to have a word with management. And, as other poster suggested, I'd box up anything of value and get it out of the apartment in case the roommates do decide to go postal. It would be game on for me. No one should have to live in fear of retribution for doing the right thing. And as a parent of a college freshman, I would absolutely be ready to back her up if need be, by having a word (or two...or TEN) with those roomates if they get nasty. If their parents aren't willing to step up and teach them a lesson, I'm happy to oblige. I'm also sensitive about these types of things because I had loser roommates in college, and had no one to count on for support.

I am so with you on the bolded. My son is also a college freshman and if he needs help I will help him out. I won't do it for him but if he tries and is unsuccessful than I will step up.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Most apartment complexes will use a blacklight when the lease is up, and use that to determine security deposits....so they will be found out, even if the cat is never seen.

I would hate to see a black like in a college apt.

 

[Sadie22]

At my son's apartment complex staff were required to give notice before entering an apartment. He said a number of times he would come back after being in class all day and find notice that they were coming and evidence that they had already been there. Usally this was for a maintenance issue for which he called them, but sometimes it was for an exterminator or some other periodic thing common to apartment complexes.

Regardless of whether the cat is litter-box trained, there can be accidents. Cats get sick. The roommates are violating the lease. The cat needs to go to a responsible home immediately. DD would be correct in taking the cat elsewhere right away. She has no obligation to allow the roommates time to take the cat elsewhere, but if she feels she has to...

 

[Kellydelly]

I would tell her to report the cat to the apt mgr. The cat needs to go, and if she doesn't have the gumption to talk to these ladies and set them straight, let the apt mgr do it.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'd tell her roommate to pony up the $600 for the security deposit. If the landlord gives the security deposit back, everyone is in the clear and roomie gets cat + her $600....but right now its her money at risk for her roommates cat. If not, the roommate will have to move out with the cat.

If the roommates insist on keeping the cat, I would write up something saying that your daughter did not want the cat and is not responsible for it and if they lose the security deposit because of the cat, the roommates who wanted the cat must reimburse your daughter for her share of the lost deposit.

Otherwise, I'd tell the roommates they need to find somewhere else to keep the cat until she is able to move out unless they can get the landlord to waive the "no pets" exclusion in writing.

Why not have them put it in writing then to make it official?

Best responses, IMO.

Make an anonymous call to the landlord. Then the roommates can pay the $600 or find the cat a home. Someone else is bound to see the cat.

I would never do this nor encourage my child to do it. Learn to deal with a problem head on, not sneak around behind backs.

So after the anonymous phone call, do you act like nothing happened? Surprised? Or what? Please tell us what that looks like.

I agree. Except that, being a college student, her roommates may've been assigned to her. She may not've chosen them. Regardless, she's going to have to work through situations like this all her life -- it's time for her to figure it out.

If it were my head on this particular chopping block, and if I wasn't getting along too well with the roomies anyway . . . I'd throw 'em under the bus and report the cat. Being a college student, she has probably 10 weeks of school left, and then she can say goodbye to these girls. I'd be prepared to disappear to friends' apartments or the library quite a bit in those weeks, and I'd be actively searching for a better living situation for next year.

I would tell her to report the cat to the apt mgr. The cat needs to go, and if she doesn't have the gumption to talk to these ladies and set them straight, let the apt mgr do it.

Not what I would do but at least it's not underhanded like the anonymous call.

At my son's apartment complex staff were required to give notice before entering an apartment. He said a number of times he would come back after being in class all day and find notice that they were coming and evidence that they had already been there. Usally this was for a maintenance issue for which he called them, but sometimes it was for an exterminator or some other periodic thing common to apartment complexes.

Regardless of whether the cat is litter-box trained, there can be accidents. Cats get sick. The roommates are violating the lease. The cat needs to go to a responsible home immediately. DD would be correct in taking the cat elsewhere right away. She has no obligation to allow the roommates time to take the cat elsewhere, but if she feels she has to...

 

[CourtneyL]

A very similar thing happened to me my sophomore year of college. I was living in on-campus housing (apartment style) with 4 other girls (3 in one room, 2 in the other, and yes it was as bad as it sounds lol), one day one of my roommates brought her cat back and intended to keep it in the apartment even though this was on-campus housing and clearly no pets were allowed. I was not happy about this stupid cat in an already cramped apartment, but she said it would stay in the triple bedroom with her. I didn't want to say anything to the campus housing people and I made it very clear to my roommates that I was not happy with this cat in the apartment, and if the cat was discovered, She would be facing the consequences of campus housing.

The cat stayed in the other room, the door was always closed, and you really couldn't tell there was a cat there. I didn't like my living situation to begin with and I rarely spent time in the apartment. The school year ended and no one from campus housing ever found out about the cat.

IMO, tell your daughter to talk to her roommates, and for her to make it clear that she is unhappy with the cat being there. If they want to keep the cat, they need to be responsible for any consequences (like loosing the security deposit). Odds are that the semester will finish, the landlord won't find out about the cat and it will be fine.